London - The UK government has banned an annual pro-Palestinian march scheduled for this Sunday after police said the event is organised by a group supportive of the Iranian regime.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood approved the rare police request late Tuesday to prevent serious public disorder. The decision marks the first time a protest march has been banned in Britain since 2012.
The Al-Quds Day march, organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), will not be allowed to proceed. London's Metropolitan Police said a static demonstration will be permitted instead.
Mahmood said she was satisfied the ban was necessary due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, set against the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"I expect to see the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division," the interior minister said in a statement.
The Metropolitan Police requested the ban after assessing what it called unique risks associated with the march. Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the event was "uniquely contentious, having originated in Iran."
Adelekan said the IHRC, which organises the London march, is supportive of the Iranian regime. The threshold to ban a protest is high, he added, and police do not take such decisions lightly.
The force has permitted dozens of major pro-Palestinian demonstrations in recent years, Adelekan noted. However, he said this march raised specific challenges due to likely high numbers of protesters and counter-protesters coming together.
Police considered the impact of the volatile situation in the Middle East, including Iranian attacks on British allies and military bases overseas, Adelekan said.
The IHRC strongly condemned the decision, calling it politically charged. The group said it was seeking legal advice and would challenge the ban.
The organisation accused the Metropolitan Police of abandoning their sworn principle of policing without fear or favour. It said the force repeated Zionist talking points about the IHRC without evidence.
The group describes Al-Quds Day as an international demonstration in support of Palestinians and oppressed people worldwide.
Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. The day originated in Iran in 1979 to show support for the Palestinian people and protest Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem. It is now marked annually in various countries, particularly in the Muslim world.
The ban applies to the march and any associated counter-protests for one month from Wednesday.