People take part in a demonstration organized by GM Friends of Palestine at Manchester Cathedral, in Manchester, England. AP
The Home Office said police forces will be able to consider the “cumulative impact of frequent protests” on local areas when they impose conditions on marches and demonstrations.
“The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.
“However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbors to live their lives without fear. Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated, and scared to leave their homes.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held regularly since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and wounded over 169,000 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The UN and many independent experts consider these figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, but some people claims they have allowed antisemitism to spread.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters have frequently accused critics of Israel or its conduct of the war in Gaza of antisemitism. Israel’s detractors see it as an attempt to stifle even legitimate criticism.
British police and politicians had urged protesters to stay home this weekend after Thursday's attack on a synagogue in Manchester that left two congregation members dead. One of them was shot by an armed officer. The attacker was also killed by police after ramming a car into pedestrians and attacking them with a knife.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that organizers should “recognize and respect the grief of British Jews this week” and postpone.
But on Saturday, about 1,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the banning of Palestine Action, a direct-action group that has vandalized British military planes and targeted sites with links to the Israeli military.
It has been labeled a terrorist organization by the government, making support for the group illegal.
Critics say the government is restricting free speech and the right to protest.
Police officers carried away several people who sat silently holding signs saying “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Police said they made 488 arrests for supporting the outlawed organization, and a handful for other offenses.
More than 2,000 people have now been arrested at protests since Palestine Action was proscribed in July, and more than 130 charged with terrorism offenses.
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