London, 18th December 2026 – The Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police have announced that they will arrest pro-Palestine protestors for holding placards or chanting slogans with the phrase “Globalise the intifada”. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) condemns this action, including the arrests of four protesters already for chanting “intifada” in support of Palestinian rights.
The word “intifada” in Arabic means uprising – in a Palestinian context, it means a form of resistance against illegal Israeli occupation. The First Intifada is well documented as largely non-violent and unarmed, mainly focussing on boycotts and strikes. Israel killed 1,603 Palestinians in the First Intifada.
Arresting people for expressing support for an uprising against an illegal occupation highlights a disturbing pattern of targeting those who stand in solidarity with Palestinians.
What we are witnessing here is a clear attempt to clamp down on pro-Palestinian freedom of expression and stifle public debate, and a disturbing shift in the state and agencies’ priorities, targeting peaceful protest instead of investigating and holding perpetrators of war crimes accountable.
Even the Crown Prosecution Service has advised that the use of the word “intifada” does not meet prosecution thresholds, yet the Metropolitan Police proceeded anyway and made arrests. In the absence of any changes in the law, this represents an abuse of police powers, and an overreach of the Public Order Act,designed to chill dissent and suppress lawful debate on issues of international justice.
Beyond being a clear attempt to supress on pro-Palestinian protest, these actions punish people for expressing support for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and enduring ongoing violence, ongoing human rights abuses, and apartheid. Policing speech in this context effectively criminalises people fromspeaking out against systemic oppression, genocide, and illegal occupation.
This also exposes the misaligned priorities of the state. Rather than holding perpetrators of war crimes to account, resources are being devoted to policing those defending Palestinian rights.
Finally, this latest announcement can be placed within a wider context of the crackdown on freedom of expression for pro-Palestinian protesters. If this continues, where does it stop? Which pro-Palestinian slogan will be next to face criminalisation? This sets a dangerous precedent for the erosion of freedom of expression in the UK. This marks another troubling low in the suppression of protest in support of Palestinian rights.
A spokesperson from ICJP said:
“As much as police chiefs may wish to make laws on the hoof, this is not how things work. Policing must be rooted in the law, not in buckling to reactionary political pressure. Not only did CPS advise the police that this phrase doesn’t meet prosecution thresholds, but the ‘ban’ is both reckless and non-sensical, inappropriately conflating acts of violence with protesters opposing the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
ICJP is a legal organisation based in London, working to uphold international law and defend the rights of Palestinians.
For more information or for media inquiries, please contact the ICJP news desk at [email protected].