The UK government has announced plans to give police greater powers to restrict repeated demonstrations, following the arrest of nearly 500 pro-Palestine protesters on Saturday.
Under the new measures, senior officers will be able to consider the “cumulative impact” of protests when imposing conditions. This could include limiting the duration of demonstrations or requiring them to be held at different locations if a site has been used repeatedly.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the move was not a ban on protests but “about restrictions and conditions.” She said the right to protest remained fundamental but must be balanced with the freedom of others to live their lives without fear. Mahmood added that repeated large protests had left some communities, particularly Jewish ones, “feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.”
The government said the new powers would be introduced “as soon as possible,” alongside a wider review of protest laws to ensure police can act consistently. Currently, police can only ban a march entirely if there is a serious risk of public disorder. The review may also examine the possibility of granting police authority to prohibit protests outright.
The announcement came after large demonstrations in London organised by Defend Our Juries to oppose the government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group. Around 1,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square, while police arrested hundreds for displaying material supporting the banned organisation. Amnesty International criticised the arrests, saying people were detained for “peacefully sitting down and holding these signs.”
Organisers had been urged to postpone the event following the killing of two men at a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur. Mahmood said demonstrators should have “waited a day or two and given people the chance to grieve.” The attack, carried out by Jihad Al-Shamie, left two dead and three injured before the assailant was shot by police. Four suspects remain in custody.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch supported the new restrictions but criticised the government’s delay, saying ministers must prove they had the backs of Jewish people. She said free speech “has to be within the bounds of the law,” arguing protests must not be used “to intimidate or incite hatred.”
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Defend Our Juries accused the government of “silencing opposition” and “authoritarianism” in response to the Home Office statement. Hundreds have been detained since the summer, when then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper banned Palestine Action after it admitted to damaging aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.
The Home Office said police would continue working with the Community Security Trust to reassure Jewish communities and prevent further disorder. The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the move, calling recent demonstrations “deeply irresponsible and offensive.” A commemorative event marking the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks on Israel was also held in London on Sunday.
