Two arrested at pro-Palestine protest in London over ‘call for intifada’ hours after police ban chant
Two arrested after shouting ‘intifada’ slogans at pro-Palestine protest
- Two people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest in London for shouting "slogans involving calls for intifada", with a total of five arrests made for public order offences.
- The arrests follow a new approach by the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police, who announced they would arrest individuals using controversial chants like "globalise the intifada".
- This policy change comes in the wake of recent terror attacks, including the Bondi Beach incident in Sydney and an attack at a Manchester synagogue, which police state have "changed the context".
- The UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, welcomed the police decision as an "important step towards challenging the hateful rhetoric" on Britain's streets.
- However, campaigners like Ben Jamal from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign criticised the move as "political repression", arguing that "intifada" means "shaking off or uprising against injustice" and its interpretation is contested.