Ban on Al-Quds March Marks Dangerous Abuse of State Power in Service of Genocidal States

London — The decision by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to ban the annual Al-Quds Day march in London is a further attack on the right to protest. The march has long been organised with the involvement of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a longstanding Muslim civil society organisation with a track record of defending fundamental rights, challenging state Islamophobia and engaging international institutions in efforts to advance justice and accountability.

British politicians routinely claim to champion the rights of the Iranian people against what they describe as an authoritarian regime in Tehran. Yet at home - the same government is now restricting the ability of people in Britain to protest, organise and express political views. 

Political pressure connected to pro-Israel advocacy networks has played a visible role to restrict demonstrations connected to Palestine and the wider region. The result is a political climate in which criticism of Zionism and Israeli state policy is increasingly framed through the language of extremism and national security. Any criticism of war crimes and genocide by the Apartheid Israeli state is deemed “antisemitism” and cannot be tolerated. 

Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International, said: 

“The decision to ban the Al-Quds march is a blatant abuse of state power and a dangerous escalation in the government’s attack on protest rights in Britain. In addition to the UK’s own stained history, added political pressure from pro-Israel advocacy groups has clearly shaped the environment in which this decision was made.

Britain has a long track record of supporting or participating in devastating wars and interventions abroad while claiming to champion freedom and human rights. The same hypocrisy is now visible at home - where the government restricts the right to protest and suppresses political expression rather than defending it.

We stand firmly with the Islamic Human Rights Commission and all those defending the right to speak out against injustice.”