Police forces in London and Manchester have pledged a significant escalation in their response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations, announcing they will now arrest individuals who chant or display placards with the phrase 'globalise the intifada'.
A "Recalibrated" and More Assertive Stance
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson declared that the context had changed following deadly attacks on Jewish people in Manchester and Sydney, Australia. They stated that police would now "recalibrate to be more assertive".
"The words and chants used, especially in protests, matter and have real world consequences," the chiefs said. "We have consistently been advised by the CPS that many of the phrases causing fear in Jewish communities don't meet prosecution thresholds. Now, in the escalating threat context, we will recalibrate to be more assertive."
They confirmed that frontline officers would be briefed on the new approach and that powers under the Public Order Act would be used, including imposing conditions around London synagogues during services.
Community Reaction and Legal Debate
The move was welcomed by the Community Security Trust (CST), which works to protect British Jews. A CST spokesperson said: "This announcement comes not a moment too soon... it is intolerable that a call for a global 'intifada' should be allowed on our streets."
However, the director of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Ben Jamal, condemned the plan as 'political repression of protest for Palestinian rights'. He argued that using the word 'intifada' – which literally means 'uprising' – was not inherently a call for violence but a call for liberation from oppression.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which decides on charges in England and Wales, stated it was working closely with police but made no specific mention of banning the term. Hate crime lead Lionel Idan noted that some offences are "context specific" and that where evidence is insufficient, they work with police to meet the threshold for charging.
Policing Under Pressure
The Metropolitan Police has faced criticism from both sides – accused of being too permissive with protestors and too severe. Senior figures within the force believe they receive undue criticism when officers do not intervene over chants that may cause offence but are not deemed to have a realistic prospect of conviction.
One insider noted: "We get all the flak for it. The community only see the inaction. It's not realistic we change nothing and keep plugging on with the same approach."
The protests, which began in October 2023 after Hamas's attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza, have seen regular large marches in London organised by groups including the PSC.
