UK police to get new powers after latest pro-Palestinian protest

5/10/2025 18:14

British police will be given powers to restrict repeat protests in the same place, the government said on Sunday after a latest pro-Palestinian demonstration went ahead despite requests to cancel it in the wake of a deadly attack at a synagogue.



The new powers will allow senior police officers to consider the cumulative impact of previous protests on a local community, the interior ministry said.



"The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country," interior minister Shabana Mahmood said. "However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear."



Two people were killed in Manchester on Thursday on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for Jews, and police shot dead the assailant, a British man of Syrian descent who officials said may have been inspired by extremist Islamist ideology.



Mahmood is also due to review the police's existing powers to ensure they are sufficient and consistently applied, including powers to ban protests outright, the ministry said.