"Announcing her decision to ban the march after a request by the Metropolitan police, Mahmood said she was satisfied doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counterprotests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East."
"Al-Quds Day was created by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after Iran's 1979 revolution. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. The march is billed as an international day in support of Palestine that is often celebrated on the last Friday of Ramadan."
"Organisers say the annual march has taken place peacefully for 40 years to highlight the continuing plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The IHRC recently condemned the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."
"The group has been criticised after some participants were previously seen waving the flag of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is banned in the UK as a terrorist organisation. Rhetoric, including chants calling for the death of America and Israel, has also been highlighted in the past."
The al-Quds Day march, an annual 40-year-old demonstration supporting Palestinian rights held in London, has been banned by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood following a Metropolitan Police request. The ban cites concerns about serious public disorder given the protest's scale and multiple counterprotests amid ongoing Middle East conflict. Al-Quds Day, created by Ayatollah Khomeini after Iran's 1979 revolution, is celebrated internationally on the last Friday of Ramadan. The march is organized by the UK al-Quds Committee, with the Islamic Human Rights Commission playing a central role. Organizers claim the march has remained peaceful for 40 years, highlighting Palestinian suffering in Gaza and the West Bank. However, the march has faced criticism for participants waving Hezbollah flags and chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli rhetoric, despite organizers warning demonstrators that such actions could result in arrest.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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