Met and GMP pledge crackdown on ‘intifada’ chants at Gaza war protests

Police in London and Manchester have pledged a further crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, saying they will arrest anyone chanting the words "globalise the intifada" or holding a placard with the phrase on it.

- Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent

The protests began in October 2023 after Hamas's attack on Israel prompted the Israeli invasion of Gaza. London's Metropolitan police have policed the most protests, followed by Greater Manchester police (GMP).

Yesterday the chiefs of both forces said attacks against Jewish people in Manchester, where two died, and in Sydney, Australia, where 16 died including one of the alleged killers, meant new rules applied.

In a joint statement the Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, and GMP chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said: "The words and chants used, especially in protests, matter and have real world consequences. We have consistently been advised by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] 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.