London,\u00a018th\u00a0December 2026\u00a0\u2013 The\u00a0Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police\u00a0have\u00a0announced\u00a0that they will arrest\u00a0pro-Palestine protestors\u00a0for holding placards or chanting\u00a0slogans\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0phrase\u00a0\u201cGlobalise the\u00a0intifada\u201d. The\u00a0International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) condemns\u00a0this action,\u00a0including\u00a0the\u00a0arrests of\u00a0four\u00a0protesters\u00a0already for\u00a0chanting\u00a0\u201cintifada\u201d\u00a0in support of Palestinian rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The word \u201cintifada\u201d in Arabic\u00a0means uprising\u00a0\u2013\u00a0in a Palestinian context, it means\u00a0a form of resistance against\u00a0illegal\u00a0Israeli\u00a0occupation.\u00a0The\u00a0First\u00a0Intifada is well documented as largely non-violent and unarmed,\u00a0mainly focussing\u00a0on boycotts and strikes.\u00a0Israel killed 1,603 Palestinians in the\u00a0First Intifada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arresting people for expressing support for an uprising\u00a0against an illegal occupation highlights\u00a0a disturbing pattern of targeting those who stand in solidarity with Palestinians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What we are witnessing here is a clear attempt to\u00a0clamp down on pro-Palestinian freedom of expression\u00a0and stifle public\u00a0debate, and\u00a0a disturbing shift in\u00a0the\u00a0state and agencies\u2019\u00a0priorities, targeting peaceful protest instead of investigating and holding\u00a0perpetrators of war\u00a0crimes\u00a0accountable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even the Crown Prosecution Service has\u00a0advised\u00a0that the use of the word\u00a0\u201cintifada\u201d\u00a0does not meet prosecution thresholds, yet\u00a0the\u00a0Metropolitan Police\u00a0proceeded\u00a0anyway and made\u00a0arrests.\u00a0In the absence of any changes in\u00a0the law, this\u00a0represents\u00a0an abuse of police powers,\u00a0and an overreach of the Public Order Act,designed to chill dissent and suppress lawful debate on issues of international justice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond being a clear attempt to supress on pro-Palestinian protest, these actions punish people for expressing support for Palestinians living under\u00a0Israeli\u00a0occupation and\u00a0enduring\u00a0ongoing violence,\u00a0ongoing\u00a0human rights abuses, and apartheid. Policing speech in this context\u00a0effectively\u00a0criminalises\u00a0people fromspeaking out against\u00a0systemic oppression, genocide, and\u00a0illegal\u00a0occupation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This also\u00a0exposes 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, this latest announcement can be placed within a wider context of the crackdown on freedom of expression for pro-Palestinian protesters.\u00a0If 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.\u00a0This marks another troubling low in the suppression of protest in support of Palestinian rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0spokesperson\u00a0from ICJP\u00a0said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as police chiefs may wish to make laws on the hoof, this is not how things\u00a0work. Policing must be rooted in the law, not in buckling to reactionary political pressure.\u00a0Not only did CPS\u00a0advise\u00a0the police that this phrase\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0meet prosecution thresholds, but the \u2018ban\u2019 is both reckless and non-sensical, inappropriately conflating acts of violence with protesters opposing\u00a0the\u00a0ongoing genocide in Gaza.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
ENDS\u00a0<\/p>\n
Notes to Editors\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
ICJP is a legal organisation based in London, working to uphold international law and defend the rights of Palestinians.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n