Shabana Mahmood has approved a request from the Metropolitan police to ban a pro-Palestinian march planned for Sunday “to prevent serious public disorder”.
The annual Al Quds Day march in London had drawn criticism over apparent support for the Iranian regime after its organisers expressed support for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several counter-protests had also been planned for the day.
Announcing her decision to ban the march, the home secretary said she was “satisfied doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”.
She added: “Should a stationary demonstration proceed, the police will be able to apply strict conditions.
“I expect to see the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division instead of exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
It is the first time a protest march has been banned by the Met since 2012.
The decision follows calls from Labour and Conservative MPs to ban the march.