UK police threaten arrests over ‘intifada’ chants at pro-Palestine protests
British police have threatened a renewed crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, warning they will arrest anyone chanting the phrase “globalize the intifada” or displaying it on placards at future protests.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said that “placards and chants such as ‘globalize the intifada,’ and those using it at future protests or in a targeted way, should expect police to take action.”
“Intifada,” an Arabic word meaning uprising, is the term Palestinians use to describe resistance to Israel’s occupation of their land.
“The words and chants used, especially in protests, matter and have real-world consequences,” the statement said.
The forces said police will now “re-calibrate to be more assertive” in light of an “escalating threat context,” warning that they “will act decisively and make arrests.”
The statement was issued in the wake of a mass shooting at a Jewish event in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, which killed 15 people and injured dozens more.
According to Australian authorities, the gunmen, a father and son, were motivated by the Daesh terrorist group. Israel, however, blamed the Australian government for doing “nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism.”
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which organizes major protests in London, said British police forces are using the Sydney attack “as a justification to further repress fundamental democratic rights of protest and free speech in this country.”
He described the move as “another low in the political repression of protest for Palestinian rights.”
Jamal added that some groups urging action against pro-Palestinian demonstrations have even suggested that chants like “Free, Free Palestine” inherently call for violence against Jewish people.
The PSC director stated that pro-Israel organizations also argue that calling for a boycott of Israel in protest of its violations of international law and Palestinian rights is "antisemitic."
Pro-Palestinian protests have grown in London over the past two years, particularly during Israel's genocidal war in Gaza and in response to the UK government’s military and diplomatic support to Israel.
Demonstrations often take place outside the Israeli embassy, government offices, and major public spaces, drawing hundreds to thousands of participants.
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