LONDON

The British home secretary said Wednesday she approved a police request to ban the upcoming Al Quds Day march, marking the first ban on the protest march in the UK since 2012.

"I am 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," Shabana Mahmood wrote on the US social media company X.

She noted that her decision came following the Metropolitan Police’s request to ban the Al Quds march.

"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," added the home secretary.

In a separate statement, the Metropolitan Police said the ban gives them the power to prohibit Sunday’s Al Quds march and any associated counter-protests.

"This will be in place from 16:00hrs on Wednesday, 11 March and last one month," said Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, public order lead at the force.

He noted that the threshold to ban a protest is high and police did not take the decision lightly, as "this is the first time we have used this power since 2012."

"The decision to ban it this year is purely based on a risk assessment of this specific protest and counter-protests," the statement said.

Adelekan stated that police have been engaging with representatives from Jewish and Muslim communities as well as Iranians in London, adding that this engagement will continue into the weekend.