Abu Yusra Choudhury
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson announced on December 17 that they would arrest protesters chanting “globalise the intifada”. The dramatic shift in policing policy has sparked a fierce debate about free speech, discrimination, and the boundaries of legitimate protest.
The joint statement followed the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack in Sydney on December 14, where 15 people were killed at a Hanukkah celebration, and referenced the earlier Heaton Park synagogue attack in Manchester on October 2. The announcement stated: “We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as ‘globalise the intifada’… Violent acts have taken place; the context has changed — words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests.”
Five arrests were made that same evening at a Palestine Coalition protest outside the Ministry of Justice, with four charged with “racially aggravated public order offences” for allegedly chanting intifada-related slogans.
The decision represents the culmination of a sustained campaign by pro-Israel advocates to criminalise Palestinian solidarity language. The then Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, wrote to Chief Constables on October 10, 2023, urging police to treat phrases like “from the river to the sea” as potential public order offences.
Similar pressure has been applied internationally. In New York, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani faced intense criticism from outgoing mayor Eric Adams and Jewish organisations for initially refusing to condemn the phrase. Mamdani, who had defended the phrase as expressing support for Palestinian human rights, eventually stated he would “discourage” its usage after widespread political pressure.
Critics note similar attempts to criminalise “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” despite the phrase’s complex history. The 1977 Likud Party platform stated, “The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable… between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2022 coalition agenda declared that “the Jewish people have an exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel.”
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson chose a platform at a Policy Exchange event on December 17 to defend his decision. Outlining what he described as the escalating threat environment facing Jewish communities, Watson stated, “Six months ago, chanting ‘globalise the intifada’ might not have led to arrest. If you do it this weekend in Manchester, my officers will arrest you. That reflects the changing context, and we will respond.” At the same event, chair Sir Trevor Phillips joked about receiving the “Islamophobe of the Year Award,” calling it “a matter of extreme pride to me.”
Policy Exchange has a controversial history regarding the Muslim community. A 2007 report claiming extremist literature was sold at a quarter of British mosques was discredited BBC Newsnight investigation. exposed that receipts provided as evidence had been fabricated. Forensic analysis showed receipts provided as evidence had been fabricated on inkjet printers, with handwriting from different mosques matching the same individual,
Ironically, the same Policy Exchange event featured extensive discussion about rejecting the proposed Islamophobia definition. Sir John Jenkins argued: “Any definition of this sort is going to restrict, is going to constrain public debate.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign issued a strong condemnation, with Director Ben Jamal stating: “The Arabic word intifada simply means shaking off or an uprising against injustice. It came to prominence during the first Palestinian intifada which was overwhelmingly marked by peaceful protest that was brutally repressed by the Israeli occupation.”
The Palestine Coalition’s full statement declared: “These attempts to conflate protests against the British government’s ongoing support for Israel’s atrocities with acts of terrorism is profoundly sinister and entirely without foundation… Notably, the police have not suggested that someone saying ‘globalise the uprising’ would be arrested, indicating that their principal objection is to the use of an Arabic word. This is both deeply discriminatory and a disgraceful attack on freedom of expression.”
The statement warned: “While these attacks are aimed at the movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people, they threaten to undermine all of our democratic freedoms.”
The arrests come as Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has commissioned Lord Macdonald KC to lead an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, expected to conclude by February 2026. The review will examine “whether existing legislation is effective and proportionate” and “whether it protects communities from hate and intimidation” while also protecting “free speech and peaceful protest.”
However, Lord Macdonald’s appointment has raised eyebrows. He was a signatory to a 2024 letter organised by UK Lawyers for Israel that criticised calls for an arms embargo on Israel, arguing that references to International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings on “plausible risk of genocide” were based on “erroneous legal claims.” Critics question whether someone who has taken such positions can lead an impartial review of laws affecting pro-Palestinian protest.
Civil liberties organisations have warned the arrest policy breaches Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and creates a dangerous chilling effect on political expression.
Meanwhile, other police forces are being pressured to follow London Metropolitan Police and the Greater Manchester Police. The West Midlands Police force, already under immense pressure to reverse its decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending an Aston Villa game, is particularly being forced to enforce the decision. The Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, told the Daily Mail: “West Midlands Police should follow the Met and Greater Manchester Police in making clear that chants for jihad and intifada are calls for violence and will always lead to arrest.
“West Midlands Police has already apparently engineered the ban of fans from an Israeli team based on fabricated evidence, so they should now be doing everything possible to restore confidence in their ability to protect the Jewish community.”
Yet, club’s fanbase has gained notoriety for its hooliganism and anti-Arab racism. On December 17, the Israeli club was also fined €20,000 by UEFA’s disciplinary body in relation to their fan’s conduct at a Europa League away game against Stuttgart on December 11. Nevertheless, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has indicated that it is investigating the police force over this decision.
Photo: Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (L) and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson announced arrests for protesters chanting “globalise the intifada”, citing a changed security context. The policy has raised concerns among civil liberties groups about free speech and protest rights, amid wider crackdowns on pro-Palestinian activism, including mass arrests at a Defend Our Juries demonstration in Parliament Square, London, on August 9. (Credit: Leo Bild/Flickr)
