Statement on Al Quds march

Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, Public Order lead, said:

The Home Secretary has consented to the Metropolitan Police banning Sunday’s Al Quds march and any associated counter-protest marches. This will be in place from 16:00hrs on Wednesday, 11 March and last one month.

The Al Quds march is uniquely contentious having originated in Iran and in London is organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission, an organisation supportive of the Iranian regime and was due to take place on Sunday, 15 March.

The threshold to ban a protest is high and we do not take this decision lightly; this is the first time we have used this power since 2012.

The Metropolitan Police routinely polices hundreds of protests which have counter protesters. Free speech and the right to protest are protected in law and we have a proven track record of upholding these values. The Met has safely policed hundreds of protests from across the political spectrum including 32 major pro-Palestinian protests and many more both pro and anti the Iranian regime. Where those protests present risks, they can normally be managed by the police placing conditions under our Public Order Act powers – this can include directing the timing, route and duration of a procession.

But in our assessment this march raises unique risks and challenges. We must consider the likely high numbers of protestors and counter protestors coming together and the extreme tensions between different factions. We have taken into consideration the likely impact on protests of the volatile situation in the Middle East, with the Iranian regime attacking British allies and military bases overseas.

We must also consider that the security services have been publicly clear about the threats we are facing on UK soil from the Iranian regime. In the last year MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing have foiled over 20 Iranian state-backed attacks on the UK. Last week counter-terrorism officers arrested four people under the National Security Act after they allegedly spied on Jewish communities for the Iranian regime and, separately, at the weekend a man was reportedly stabbed by someone who had opposing views on the Iranian regime.

Overall, the context is so uniquely complex and the risks are so severe that placing conditions on the protest will not be sufficient to prevent it from resulting in serious public disorder - running the risk of injury to members of the public, protestors, police officers and damage to property.

Previous Al Quds marches have resulted in arrests for supporting terrorist organisations and antisemitic hate crimes. However, the decision to ban it this year is purely based on a risk assessment of this specific protest and counter-protests – we do not police taste or decency or prefer one political view over another, but we will do everything we can to reduce violence and disorder.

We know events across the globe have an impact on London and we have been engaging with representatives from our Jewish and Muslim communities as well as Iranians. This engagement will continue into the weekend.

While we will protect the right to protest, those who crossover into criminality will face the full force of the law. Even with the ban in place, we will face a challenging, potentially violent weekend and will be supported by officers from around the country. There will be an increased police presence in the area and officers will take robust action as needed.

We are immensely grateful for their continued exceptional public order policing at a time of relentless events within an incredibly complicated political environment. Anyone who attempts to form or join a march or incite others to will be committing a criminal offence and should expect arrest.

There is no law or power to ban a static assembly, which is different from a moving protest march. Given the concerns around serious disorder, we will place strict conditions on any static assembly. These are steps to mitigate those risks and we cannot guarantee they reduce the risk of disorder to zero. Given the tensions, we have to accept that confrontations could still take place.

We urge the organisers to comply with our conditions or face arrest.