RE: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Rally 18th January 2025
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RE: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Rally 18th January 2025
Dear Home Secretary,
We write concerning the above, and specifically to raise concerns about the manner of the policing and
the apparent denial of civil liberties and freedom to protest.
We are all cautiously relieved that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been announced and is currently
being implemented with hostages starting to return to their families and Palestinian detainees being
released.
The hope is that the staged ceasefire and release of hostages and prisoners continues as planned. But
the Palestine solidarity movement remains as pertinent as ever, with Palestinians still facing daily brutal
oppression under Israel’s decades long illegal occupation.
The situation for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is desperate, and the lifting of sanctions against violent
settlers in the West Bank by Donald Trump has already fuelled further violence against Palestinians
living there. It is clear that the injustices experienced by Palestinians continues and remains an
important issue for many millions of UK citizens and for peoples across the world. The regular large
scale protests taking place across the country over the last 15 months have been an important
democratic expression of the strength of public feeling on this issue.
These protests have been very well organised, with 24 national demonstrations each with between
100,000 and a million people attending. They have been peaceful in nature and attended by a broad
range of people and groups – including a prominent Jewish block at every march. Ahead of every march,
the organisers have discussed fully with the Metropolitan Police to ensure their success.
We are deeply troubled, however, by the obstacles put in place by the Metropolitan Police ahead of the
18th January demonstration, as well as the policing on the day. We have spoken to the key figures in the
forefront of the events of the day, listened to their first-hand accounts and viewed the video footage,
and there are some significant issues of concern.
It is very clear from the published footage that the protest organisers announced their intention to send
a small delegation to walk towards the BBC, carrying flowers which they intended to lay there. They
announced that if the police were to stop them proceeding to the BBC, then they would lay the flowers
at the feet of the police instead.
Footage clearly shows the police inviting the delegation to ‘filter through’ from Whitehall into Trafalgar
Square, as opposed to it ‘breaching police lines’ as subsequently alleged. In this context, we fail to see
how the questioning of two Members of Parliament, the charging of Ben Jamal of Palestine Solidarity
Campaign and Chris Nineham of Stop the War Coalition with public order offences, and indeed the assault on Chris Nineham during his arrest, and the interviewing of others under caution, can be
thought justified or in any way appropriate.
There is a direct conflict in the respective positions of officers facilitating the progress of a delegation
to lay flowers, and the allegation by the police that their lines had been forcibly breached. Clearly being
invited to proceed is wholly inconsistent with the allegation of a forcible breach. We invite you to
contrast the web posts and social media posts by the Metropolitan Police and the footage shared by
the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
We know that you will have received many direct representations no doubt detailing the chronology
and the discussions had before and throughout the rally as between the PSC and the Police and we will
not repeat those details here, but we were aghast to learn that Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said
publicly the day after the protest that ‘his force imposed unprecedented restrictions’ on a major
Palestine solidarity rally in London on 18th January that led to 77 arrests.
The changes to public order legislation by the last government, through both the Police, Crime,
Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and through the Public Order Act 2023, were rightly resisted. Civil
society called it, ‘a staggering escalation of the Government’s clampdown on protest’. The Joint
Committee on Human Rights rightly condemned the creation of, ‘a hostile environment for peaceful
protestors.’ And an opposition frontbench reasoned amendment rightly declared this legislation would,
‘erode historic freedoms of peaceful protest’.
The High Court in May this year upheld legal challenges brought by Liberty against the almost “unlimited
powers of the Police” and it is regrettable that the Government is appealing that decision and is
seemingly supporting public order measures which we opposed when in Opposition.
The Government is rightly repealing anti-trade union legislation through the Employment Rights Bill. It
should repeal anti-protest legislation as well. The use of public order legislation passed by the last
Government, should be paused and subject to reconsideration by the Home Office rather than pursuing
use of its devices.
With regards to last weekend’s protest, we ask that you clarify whether there was any discussion
between the Commissioner and the Home Office, or any prior or subsequent engagement or
communication around such a significant change in policy.
If so, could you please advise as to the origins of such a significant change and whether such an
intention was approved in any way.
We believe the charges should be dropped against those unjustly arrested, or unjustly charged,
following the protest. And we ask that the Home Office commission an independent investigation into
the policing of the protest.
It was the former Government which fomented protest and used legislation to repress it, this
Government must demonstrate it is delivering change.
Yours,
1. Diane Abbott MP
2. Shockat Adam MP
3. Órfhlaith Begley MP
4. Apsana Begum MP
5. Baroness Natalie Bennett
6. Sian Berry MP
7. Baroness Christine Blower
8. Baroness Pauline Bryan
9. Richard Burgon MP
10. Ian Byrne MP
11. Ellie Chowns MP
12. Pat Cullen MP
13. Lord Bryn Davies
14. Carla Denyer MP
15. Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
16. John Finucane MP
17. Mary Kelly Foy MP
18. Chris Hazzard MP
19. Lord John Hendy
20. Dáire Hughes MP
21. Adnan Hussain MP
22. Imran Hussain MP
23. Kim Johnson MP
24. Baroness Jenny Jones
25. Ayoub Khan MP
26. Ben Lake MP
27. Ian Lavery MP
28. Chris Law MP
29. Graham Leadbitter MP
30. Brian Leishman MP
31. Clive Lewis MP
32. Andy McDonald MP
33. Cathal Mallaghan MP
34. Rachael Maskell MP
35. Paul Maskey MP
36. Abtisam Mohamed MP
37. Iqbal Mohammed MP
38. Grahame Morris MP
39. Brendan O’Hara MP
40. Simon Opher MP
41. Kate Osborne MP
42. Adrian Ramsay MP
43. Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
44. Lord Prem Sikka
45. Cat Smith MP
46. Euan Stainbank MP
47. Zarah Sultana MP
48. Jon Trickett MP
49. Nadia Whittome MP
50. Steve Witherden MP
51. Lord Tony Woodley
