Starmer faces backlash as he urges pro-Palestine protest ban

WorldPolitics
2 May 2026 • 11:58 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Starmer faces backlash as he urges pro-Palestine protest ban

  • Sir Keir Starmer has backed a ban on some pro-Palestine protests, suggesting there are instances where such marches should be prevented on UK streets following the Golders Green terror attack.
  • He challenged marchers who hear chants of 'globalise the Intifada' to question why they are not calling it out, emphasising the cumulative impact on the Jewish community.
  • The UK's terror threat has been raised to severe, with the Metropolitan Police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, stating that the Jewish community faces its greatest ever threat.
  • Lord Mann, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, deemed it 'unconscionable' to outlaw peaceful pro-Palestine protests, a view echoed by Green Party and Labour figures who warned against restricting peaceful dissent.
  • Sir Mark Rowley has called for 300 additional officers to tackle antisemitism and is considering whether to limit two upcoming London protests, including a pro-Palestine march.

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