UK lawyers urge review of police conduct at Gaza protests

Dozens of prominent UK legal scholars have called for an independent inquiry into the Metropolitan Police’s handling of a pro-Palestine protest in London last weekend. 

The group also demanded the withdrawal of charges against Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and others arrested during the demonstration. 

In a letter addressed to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the signatories described the policing as “a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest.”

They urged the government to act, warning that “the drift of British law and policing poses a fundamental threat to the right to protest.”  

According to the Metropolitan Police, 77 people were arrested during the demonstration, which had initially been banned from gathering outside the BBC’s London headquarters.  

The police cited concerns about the protest’s proximity to a synagogue and the fact that it coincided with the Sabbath.  

The ban resulted in the protest being restructured as a static rally, but the police alleged that demonstrators had breached police lines in an organised attempt to defy the conditions. 

This version of events was challenged by the PSC, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who were voluntarily interviewed under caution regarding the march before being “released pending further investigations.” 

‘Abuse of police powers’

The letter, signed by over 40 legal experts, including Prof. Jeff King of University College London, a former legal adviser to the House of Lords select committee on the constitution, and academics from more than 15 universities, criticised the Metropolitan Police’s actions. It stated: 

“The conditions imposed by the Metropolitan Police on the PSC demonstration on 18 January 2025 were disproportionate and an abuse of police powers. 

“Despite a demonstrable track record of overwhelmingly peaceful protests for over a year, the police prevented the demonstration from assembling near or marching towards the BBC on Saturday without offering any compelling evidence. The police thus seemed to be motivated by political considerations that seek to limit the efficacy of the protesters and shield state institutions from criticism.” 

The letter also described the arrest of the chief stewards of the national Palestine marches as “a worrying escalation in the assault on the right to protest in general, and on anti-war and pro-Palestine protests in particular.”

 It called for “a repeal of the raft of anti-protest laws passed in recent years.”

The PSC claimed that the Met had reneged on an earlier agreement to allow a march from the BBC’s Portland Place headquarters to Whitehall, a route used during previous protests. 

Grave concerns

Dr Paul O’Connell from SOAS University of London and one of the letter’s signatories said in a statement: 

“This letter is signed by over 40 leading lawyers and academics, people who, in one capacity or another, have worked on issues related to human rights and the rule of law for decades. It shows, in no uncertain terms, that these experts have the gravest of concerns about the policing of the PSC demonstration on 18 January 2025, and more generally about the assault on the right to protest in Britain. 

“The Home Secretary, and anyone else in a position of authority, has an obligation to act now, to ensure that the law and police tactics in Britain protect and facilitate the right to protest, as required by regional and international human rights treaties to which Britain is a party.” 

However, Commander Adam Slonecki, the Metropolitan Police officer who oversaw the operation, said in a statement provided to The New Arab: 

“We saw a deliberate effort, including by protest organisers, to breach conditions and attempt to march out of Whitehall.”

“This was a serious escalation in criminality and one which we are taking incredibly seriously. Officers have worked around the clock to pursue those involved.

“We will continue to work through CCTV footage, videos from social media and our body worn cameras so we can make further arrests and bring forward charges where we identify criminality.”

Activists and rights groups have consistently warned of what they describe as an ongoing assault on the right to protest, which they claim has intensified over the past year. 

Pro-Palestine and anti-war demonstrators have reported severe restrictions on their ability to protest Israel’s war on Gaza since 7 October 2023. 

According to Gaza’s authorities, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, with many civilians still trapped under rubble or stranded in areas inaccessible to ambulance and civil defence crews.