More than 500 people were arrested at a mass London vigil last month, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said some pro-Palestine marches could be banned. He told the BBC that chants such as "globalise the Intifada" are "completely off limits" and that those who use the phrase could be prosecuted. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said people using the slogan are likely to be arrested. The remarks come amid a spate of anti-Jewish incidents and an upgrade of the national security alert to "severe".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said tighter controls on protest language and, in some cases, outright bans on demonstrations could be appropriate. He made the remarks in a BBC interview broadcast on Saturday. He said he strongly defends the right to peaceful protest. But he drew a line at chants he described as calling for violence.

Starmer singled out the slogan "globalise the Intifada" and said it must not be allowed at public demonstrations. "I'm a big defender of freedom of expression, peaceful protests," he said. "But when there are chants like 'globalise the Intifada', that's completely off limits." He added that there should be tougher action in relation to that language.

Police response and prosecutions

Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, told the same programme that people chanting the phrase were likely to be arrested. He linked the police response to concerns about public safety and the risk of violence. That view follows a period of intense policing at recent events in the capital.

Last month, British police arrested more than 500 people during a large vigil in central London that opposed a ban on the campaign group Palestine Action. The mass arrests illustrate the scale at which officers have acted to control demonstrations this spring.

The government says it has been discussing with police what further steps can be taken to restrict inflammatory language and behaviour at rallies. Starmer said those talks had been under way for some time. He told the BBC he thought banning some rallies would be appropriate in certain cases.

Security and community spillover

The prime minister's comments arrive after a string of anti-Semitic incidents. This week two men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, a neighbourhood with a large Jewish population.

A 45-year-old British man, born in Somalia, was remanded in custody after being accused of attempted murder in connection with that attack.

Starmer visited the scene and a Jewish volunteer ambulance service on Thursday. He was booed by some local residents. They accused his government of failing to protect them and criticised pro-Palestinian marches in British cities.

Ministers raised the national security alert to "severe", the second highest level, citing in part the attack in Golders Green. The change in threat level signals a higher perceived risk of further attacks and led to stepped-up protective measures at sensitive sites.

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Political pressure and public debate

Starmer faces pressure from several directions. Some politicians and community leaders want firmer action against language they see as encouraging violence. Others warn that heavy-handed restrictions could harm civil liberties and inflame tensions.

Opponents of recent police actions have criticised the authorities for clamping down on pro-Palestine activism during the Israel-Gaza conflict. Protesters at a London vigil for Palestine argued that policing had become too aggressive. One participant said the crackdown felt like a move away from democratic norms.

But the government points to a series of violent incidents and a spike in anti-Jewish abuse to justify stronger measures. Starmer framed his position as balancing two duties: protecting free speech and preventing rhetoric that could lead to violence. He said the state has to act where speech crosses into criminality.

Economic and social implications

Tighter policing and potential bans on demonstrations carry economic costs. Deploying large numbers of officers to manage protests requires funding and shifts resources away from other policing priorities. Local authorities and the Home Office face pressure to absorb those costs while maintaining everyday services.

And restrictions on public gatherings can affect businesses near protest sites. Shops and restaurants in central London have been disrupted during mass events. Footfall falls during major police operations. That hits small traders already coping with a tough economic climate.

There are also social costs. Measures seen as limiting political expression risk deepening mistrust between communities and the state. That can make it harder for police to gather intelligence and to build the partnerships needed to keep neighbourhoods safe. It can also harden public attitudes and prolong protests outside formal channels.

Any move to ban specific chants or to proscribe categories of protest raises legal questions. Lawmakers would need to define unlawful speech clearly.

Courts could then be asked to weigh the right to protest against public order concerns. That creates a potential avenue for legal challenges.

The government has already used existing powers to restrict some groups and to authorise arrests on a large scale. How new limits would sit alongside current law is likely to attract close scrutiny from civil liberties groups, human rights lawyers and opposition politicians.

For now, Starmer has framed the issue around a single slogan. He said the phrase calls for action he considered outside the bounds of acceptable protest. That narrower focus may make any new measures easier to justify publicly than broader bans on demonstrations.

Public reaction has been mixed. Some residents of Jewish communities said they welcomed clearer action to stop rhetoric they view as threatening. Others in pro-Palestine circles said they feared a chilling effect on lawful dissent.

At a recent central London vigil, demonstrators argued that the policing response to pro-Palestine events had gone too far. They warned that mass arrests send a message that dissent will be suppressed. Their organisers said the protests were meant to be peaceful.

Meanwhile, officials say they will focus on specific language that appears to call for violence. Starmer and Sir Mark Rowley have both signalled a willingness to use police powers.

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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said people chanting the slogan are likely to be arrested.

This article was created with AI assistance.