UK minister calls for tough action ahead of London Al Quds march

A British government minister has said she expects police to take firm action against individuals expressing support for the Iranian authorities ahead of a pro-Palestinian rally planned in London this weekend.

Sarah Sackman, the UK courts minister, made the comments ahead of the annual Al Quds Day march scheduled to take place in London on Sunday. The event is organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission.

According to the organisation, the march has been held peacefully for around 40 years and aims to draw attention to the situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

However, previous demonstrations have drawn scrutiny because some participants waved flags of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group that is banned in the United Kingdom as a terrorist organisation. Past rallies have also featured chants calling for death to the United States and Israel.

Speaking to LBC radio on Tuesday, Sackman said: “Those expressing support for the malign regime in Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies have no place in our society.”

“They shouldn’t be on the streets of London calling for hate and hostility against this country. That’s thoroughly anti-British, and I expect the police and the Home Secretary to take the necessary action against those people,” she added.

In separate remarks to Times Radio, the minister said: “I’m clear that hate marches like the Al Quds march have no place in British society and the authorities and the police should take the enforcement action needed against these marches.”

The Metropolitan Police said it has not ruled out several options ahead of the rally, including seeking an outright ban on the march scheduled for this weekend.

By Tamilla Hasanova