Two people have been arrested after shouting slogans calling for “intifada”, the Metropolitan Police said.
The arrests came during a protest by pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the Ministry of Justice in Westminster, London, on Wednesday evening.
A third person was arrested for “obstructing” police as they made the first two arrests for the chanting.
The Met later confirmed two further arrests for public order offences, one of which was racially aggravated – bringing the total arrested to five.
It comes after police in London and Manchester said protesters face arrest for chanting the slogan “globalise the intifada” in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Metropolitan Police bosses released a joint statement after two gunmen killed 15 people as they targeted Jewish people gathered to celebrate Hanukkah in Sydney.
It came around two months after two people were killed in a terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.
Follow live: Alleged gunman charged
The chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis is among high-profile voices to demand action against hate speech seen at regular pro-Palestinian marches in the UK after the Bondi Beach attack.
He said it must be made clear slogans such as “globalise the intifada” are “unlawful”, adding that both the Sydney and Manchester attacks show the potential consequences of such words.
Reacting to news that protesters face arrest if they use the slogan, Sir Ephraim said on X: “This announcement is a most welcome development, and an important step towards challenging the hateful rhetoric we have seen on our streets, which has inspired acts of violence and terror.”
Intifada means “uprising” in Arabic and refers to two specific Palestinian uprisings against Israel, first in the late 1980s and then in the early 2000s. Thousands of people were killed, according to several estimates.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said in a statement: “We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as ‘globalise the intifada’ and those using it at future protest or in a targeted way should expect the Met and GMP to take action.
“Violent acts have taken place, the context has changed – words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests.”
The move has been welcomed by Jewish groups, including the Community Security Trust, a charity which provides protection for Jews in Britain, which said the announcement came “not a moment too soon”.
But Ben Jamal, from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said it “marks another low in the political repression of protest for Palestinian rights”.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Read more:
Who were the suspected gunmen in Bondi beach attack?
Mourners pay respect at victim’s funeral
On Tuesday, the Met said it imposed conditions on a pro-Palestine protest near the BBC headquarters in central London because it would have caused “serious disruption to the lives of Jewish Londoners attending a nearby synagogue and a private Hannukah event in the immediate vicinity”.
Later, the Met said two people had been arrested for shouting ‘intifada’ during a protest outside the Ministry of Justice.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police after opening fire on 1,000 people in the Archer Park area of Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, while his son Naveed, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist attack.
Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged the Bondi Beach attack was not an “isolated incident” but part of a pattern of incidents focused on Jewish holy days.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones suggested people should refrain from using chants such as “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea”.
The use of “from the river to the sea” has drawn anger from some pro-Israel supporters, who argue the phrase calls for the eradication of the Israeli state.
Mr Davies-Jones told Sky News “any chants that are designed to intimidate, call for violence, call for the murder of Jews, are totally unacceptable”.
