The Prime Minister has urged people planning to attend pro-Palestine protests this weekend “to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews” after the Met Police Commissioner called for a London demonstration to be cancelled.
Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I know that planned protests over the weekend, just a few days before the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, as well as in the shadow of the Manchester attack, will cause distress.
“Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy – and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza – but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes.
“I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain.”
It comes after Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley demanded a pro-Palestine protest planned for Saturday in central London be cancelled following the deadly Manchester terror attack, saying it will “likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity”.
At least 1,500 people are expected at the Palestine Action demonstration in Trafalgar Square but the force has insisted it should be postponed due to the drain on resources while extra officers are stationed at synagogues in the wake of Thursday’s outrage.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark warned organiser Defend Our Juries they “should not think for a moment that their offending will go unpoliced” as they attempt to overwhelm the criminal justice system.
He said: “The horrific attack in Manchester has caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London.
“Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation.
“By deliberately choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most.
“People have been debating for the last two years whether pro-Palestinian protests are simply a call for peace, or have an implicit intention to stir up antisemitism.
“Continuing such protests within hours of Thursday’s awful terrorist murder of British Jews, when communities are most fearful, will likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity.
Mass protest to defy Palestine Action ban set for London this weekend pic.twitter.com/Mpw4bhaRJF
— PA Media (@PA) October 2, 2025
“It is for these reasons we have asked Defend our Juries to delay or cancel their protest this weekend. However if they fail to do so, they should not think for a moment that their offending will go unpoliced. If we have to, we will call in support from forces across the UK to ensure we can arrest all those breaking the law in support of a terrorist group while we also keep communities safe.
“Some may ask why we do not ban the protest, but there is no power in law for us to do so. Nor is there even the possibility for us to apply to the Home Secretary to ban static assemblies in the way there is, in very limited circumstances, for protest marches.”
Defend Our Juries again refused, saying in a statement: “Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. It’s more important than ever to defend our democracy, including our fundamental rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech, and to take a stand tomorrow against killing and against oppression, and for peace and justice for all.”
A worshipper died and another was injured after they were accidentally shot by armed police while attempting to prevent a knife-wielding terrorist from entering a synagogue.
Killer Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were called about the attacker ramming into people with a car and stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died and three others remain in hospital with serious injuries following the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the planned demonstration a “celebration of murder”.
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also slammed protesters refusing to cancel the demonstration in support of Palestine Action, which has been banned by the Government as a terrorist organisation.
Mahmood on Friday described the action as “fundamentally un-British”.
She told BBC Radio 4: “I think that behaviour is unacceptable I would have wanted them to take a step back.
“Just because we have the freedom to protest… doesn’t mean you have to use it at every moment.”
Defend Our Juries, which is organising the action, said it was contacted by the Metropolitan Police asking for the demonstration to be postponed in light of the terrorist attack on Thursday.
We are a country that allows peaceful protest, but we are not one that allows the celebration of murder.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) October 3, 2025
My statement on the Manchester terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/tRRENaznQ5
The correspondence from the force highlighted how previous demonstrations have put significant pressure on police.
In a letter of response to Scotland Yard, the protest group said: “The protection of our democracy and the prevention of countless deaths are critical issues.
“Therefore, our protest will go ahead as planned for this Saturday.
“We urge you, therefore, to choose to prioritise protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group.
“We hope you make the right choice to not arrest those taking part, and correctly deploy counter-terrorism resources this weekend.”
Protesters are calling on the Government to reverse the ban on Palestine Action.
The letter adds: “It is unfortunate that the Home Office has not decided to rescind the ban in the wake of the ever-growing defiance and has chosen instead to put an increasing and unnecessary strain on police resources.
“According to your letter, it appears the political oversight in proscribing Palestine Action, which aimed to save lives in Palestine, is taking away from the police protecting the community from those who seek to take lives.”
A total of 134 people have been charged with an offence for allegedly showing support for the banned Palestine Action group in London.
Earlier, Defend Our Juries said more than 1,500 had so far pledged to take part in the Trafalgar Square demo billed as “the biggest ever mass action yet defying the ban on Palestine Action”.
Last month, violent clashes broke out when an estimated 1,500 people gathered for the rally in Westminster where the protest took on an increasingly anti-police tone, featuring chants of “shame on you”, “you’re supporting genocide”.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Palestine Action has conducted an escalating campaign involving not just sustained criminal damage, including to Britain’s national security infrastructure, but also intimidation and alleged violence and serious injuries to individuals. That kind of activity puts the safety and security of the public at risk.
“Violence and serious criminal damage has no place in lawful protests. Those suspected of breaking the law risk arrest and prosecution, including for terrorism offences.
“We thank the police for their work and remain confident in the well-tested plans in place to deal with any public disorder, including action against those supporting a proscribed organisation.”
The police’s concerns about what may happen at Saturday’s planned protest will have only been heightened after clashes broke out between protesters and officers at a pro-Palestine rally on Whitehall on Thursday night.
The Met police made 40 arrests following scuffles at the end of the protest organised by Global Movement for Gaza UK.
