Al-Quds Day march axed over 'public disorder' risk

Organisers of an al-Quds Day march in London are “closely associated with the Iranian regime”, Shabana Mahmood has told MPs.

- HOLLY BANCROFT HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

The annual protest, which was created by Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is billed as an international day in support of Palestine. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has approved a request from the Metropolitan Police to ban the march planned for Sunday “to prevent serious public disorder”.

Ms Mahmood told MPs the plans for the procession “have been led by the Islamic Human Rights Commission [IHRC]”, an organisation “that has been closely associated with the Iranian regime”. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the group as “in essence a front organisation for the Iranian regime”.

The IHRC have said that the protest will go ahead on Sunday as a static demonstration and that they are an independent NGO, which does not accept funding from any government. They said that the al-Quds Day event is organised by a committee involving many organisations, of which the IHRC “is prominent”.