UK bans annual pro-Palestinian march over alleged Iran support

The UK government has banned the annual pro-Palestinian Al-Quds Day march planned for March 15, citing concerns that the event was organised by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime,” according to London police.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she approved the rare police request to prevent “serious public disorder” that could have arisen if the march and counter-protests had proceeded, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Al-Quds Day rallies, held annually in cities around the world on the last Friday of Ramadan, are intended to show solidarity with Palestinians. This marks the first time a protest march in London has been banned since 2012. However, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that a static demonstration will still be permitted.

Mahmood stated she was “satisfied” that the ban was “necessary” given “the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), an NGO that organises the annual march, condemned the decision, describing it as “politically charged.”

By Sabina Mammadli