UK police ban pro-Iranian London march due to ‘extreme tensions,’ in rare move

By Reuters 11 March 2026, 10:35 am

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Illustrative: Metropolitan police stand in front of protesters at an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstration in support of the group Palestine Action as the UK government gears up to ban it, in Trafalgar Square, central London, Great Britain, June 23, 2025. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

British police say they have banned a pro-Iranian march due to take place in London on Sunday, citing the possibility of “extreme tensions” with counter-protesters and the risk posed by Tehran during the war in the Middle East.

The Al Quds march in central London is organized annually by the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which the police say supports the Iranian regime.

The threshold to ban a protest is high in Britain, with the police saying this is the first time the power had been invoked in 14 years, but the risks of public disorder are “so severe” that it is right to block it. The ban also applies to any counter-protest marches.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission has previously claimed on X that the march is being held in support of Palestinian liberation.

Police say that previous Al Quds marches have resulted in arrests for supporting terrorist organizations and antisemitic hate crimes, and that even with the ban in place they are facing a “challenging, potentially violent weekend.”

“We have taken into consideration the likely impact on protests of the volatile situation in the Middle East, with the Iranian regime attacking British allies and military bases overseas,” the police statement published late on Tuesday says. “We must also consider that the security services have been publicly clear about the threats we are facing on UK soil from the Iranian regime.”

British police have faced heavy scrutiny of their handling of regular, large pro-Palestinian protests in London since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, with supporters and opponents at odds over the right of free speech, the support shown for the proscribed group Palestine Action and the impact on the Jewish community.

Last week, British police arrested four men on suspicion of helping Iran’s intelligence services carry out surveillance of people and locations linked to the Jewish community in London.

Should the Islamic Human Rights Commission go ahead with a static assembly, which there is no law to ban, police say it will be placed under strict conditions.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.