What is Al Quds Day and why has this year’s march been banned?
The Home Secretary has agreed to a request from the Metropolitan Police to ban thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters from marching into central London for the annual Al-Quds Day demonstration this Sunday.
Shabana Mahmood said she was satisfied that the ban was “necessary to prevent serious social unrest due to the size of the protests and the large number of counter-protests in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
What is Quds Day?
Quds Day is an annual international event to express solidarity with Palestine.
It was founded in 1979, shortly after the Iranian Revolution, by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first religious leader.
Quds Day takes its name from the Arabic name for Jerusalem and is usually celebrated on the last Friday of Ramadan.
Protests and rallies are held in various countries around the world on Quds Day.
Who is organizing the event in the UK?
According to the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), the London rally is being organized by the UK Jerusalem Committee.
It was stated that the committee included organizations for which the IHRC was “leading”.
Founded in 1997, the IHRC describes itself as a non-profit organization that “fights for justice for all people, regardless of race, creed or political background.”
The organization said Quds Day “offers a platform for all those who advocate for justice against colonialism, oppression and apartheid to come together to be the voice of victims.”
Why had the Quds Day march been the target of criticism before?
The march in London has come under criticism in the past for open support for the Iranian regime, after organizers declared support for the country’s late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Participants in the march are said to have previously waved flags of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and carried banners with allegedly anti-Semitic messages.
The Metropolitan Police said previous Quds Day marches had resulted in arrests for supporting terrorist organizations and anti-Semitic hate crimes.
Why was it banned this year?
The 2026 Quds Day march raises “unique risks and challenges”, the Metropolitan Police said.
The statement touched upon “the possible impact of the Iranian regime’s attack on British allies and military bases abroad, and the unstable situation in the Middle East on the protests.”
The force also said the security services should take into account the fact that Britain was clear about the threats it faced from the Iranian regime.
He added that placing conditions on the protest would not be enough to prevent it from causing “serious disruption of public order”.
Announcing his decision to ban the march, Mahmood said there was a “greater potential for conflict” at Quds Day marches in London due to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
Ms Mahmood’s decision means it is the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012.
What did the IHRC say about the ban?
In a statement on the organization’s website, the IHRC said it “strongly condemns” the decision to ban the Al-Quds Day march.
The organization said it was “seeking legal advice”, adding that “the decision will not go unchallenged”.
He said a “static” protest would continue on Sunday and “all preparations should continue as planned.”
