
Dozens of leading UK legal scholars have called for an independent inquiry into the Metropolitan Police’s handling of a pro-Palestine protest over the weekend.
The lawyers have also demanded that charges against Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War’s Chris Nineham and others arrested during the demonstration be dropped.
The Met accused the protesters of breaching guidelines on where they were allowed to demonstrate, ostensibly to avoid approaching a nearby synagogue.
According to the Met, conditions were put in place after taking into account the “cumulative impact of the prolonged period of protest on Jewish Londoners, particularly when protests are in the vicinity of synagogues often on Saturdays, the Jewish holy day.”
But in a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the scholars described the arrests and restrictions as “a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest.”
They warned that recent policing tactics reflect a broader erosion of protest rights in the UK, stating: “The drift of British law and policing poses a fundamental threat to the right to protest.”
The protest, organised by the PSC, aimed to draw attention to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. However, demonstrators faced significant restrictions, with police preventing them from assembling near or marching towards the BBC’s headquarters.
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The PSC has criticised these actions as “politically motivated,” accusing authorities of attempting to shield state institutions from criticism and limit the impact of the demonstration.
The Palestine Coalition in a statement has described the Police restrictions as “draconian powers” aimed at stifling dissent.

They highlighted that initial police claims about potential disruption to a nearby synagogue’s morning services were “entirely baseless,” noting that “the nearest synagogue to the BBC is not even on the march route.”
Despite acknowledging that synagogue services would end two hours before protesters were scheduled to arrive, police refused to lift the restrictions.
In place of the synagogue argument, the police cited new justifications, including concerns about residents’ ability to park their cars – an excuse the coalition called “dubious” and applicable to any protest route in London.
They also revealed that the police suggested holding the march on a day other than Saturday, a proposal they rejected as unfeasible for a large-scale demonstration.
The PSC further accused the police of double standards, stating: “The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are seeking to impose an effective ban on protests in support of Palestinian rights at the BBC on any Saturday, while explicitly conceding that this would not apply to pro-Israel demonstrations.”
The arrest of Chief Steward Chris Nineham, along with other demonstrators, has drawn widespread criticism.
Legal scholars noted that video evidence contradicts the police’s justification for these arrests, raising serious concerns about the misuse of police powers.
Referencing Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the legal scholars emphasised the UK’s duty to respect and facilitate peaceful protests.
They stated: “These two articles have been interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights as conferring on individuals an extensive right to peaceful protest, imposing stringent obligations on public bodies to respect and facilitate it.”

The scholars also noted that: “this assault on the right to protest has heightened in the last year, with anti-war and pro-Palestine protestors experiencing particularly acute attacks on their rights to peacefully protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
The letter also called for the repeal of recent anti-protest laws, urging: “We believe the charges should be dropped against those arrested…and that an independent investigation should be conducted into the policing of this protest.”
It concluded with a call for justice, urging that “the charges against those arrested must be dropped, and an independent investigation into the policing of this protest is essential.”
The Palestine Coalition has urged the public to join future protests, stating: “we call on all those who oppose Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and those who uphold the right to protest to join us in London at 12 noon on Saturday 18 January.”