LONDON:UK police warned on Wednesday that people publicly chanting pro-Palestinian slogans such as “globalize the intifada” will face arrest, saying the “context has changed” following recent deadly attacks targeting Jewish communities.
In a joint statement, London’s Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said they would take a more assertive approach after a father-and-son shooting at a Hanukkah festival on Australia’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, as well as an October attack on a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur.
“We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as ‘globalize the intifada’,” the statement said. “Violent acts have taken place, the context has changed — words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests.”
Jewish organizations welcomed the announcement. UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called it “an important step toward challenging the hateful rhetoric we have seen on our streets, which has inspired acts of violence and terror.”
However, the move drew sharp criticism from pro-Palestinian campaigners, who accused authorities of curbing the right to protest. Ben Jamal of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the decision marked “another low in the political repression of protest for Palestinian rights,” ahead of a planned demonstration in central London.
Jamal argued that the Arabic term “intifada” means an uprising against injustice and said it gained prominence during the first Palestinian intifada, which he described as largely characterized by peaceful protest.
The term refers to two Palestinian uprisings against Israel, the first from 1987 to 1993 and the second between 2000 and 2005.
UK police have already increased security at synagogues, Jewish schools and community centers nationwide following recent incidents. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged Australia and Britain to act against what he described as a surge in antisemitism, calling slogans such as “Globalize the Intifada” violent incitement.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the weekend attack in Australia as “sickening,” describing it as an antisemitic terrorist assault on Jewish families.
Meanwhile, Chief Prosecutor Lionel Idan said the Crown Prosecution Service was working closely with police to identify and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes. According to CPS figures, hate crime referrals and completed prosecutions rose by 17 percent to 15,561 in the year ending June 2025.
