More than 40 legal scholars have signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the Met’s policing of a pro-Palestine protest in London on Saturday, describing it as “a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest”.
The force said it arrested 77 people at the demonstration, having banned protesters from gathering outside the BBC’s London headquarters, citing its proximity to a synagogue and the fact it was taking place on the Sabbath. The ban led to the protest being changed to a static rally, but the Met claimed people broke through police lines in a coordinated effort to breach the conditions.
This was disputed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who were voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the march before being “released pending further investigations”.
The letter, whose signatories include Prof Jeff King, from UCL, former legal adviser to the House of Lords select committee on the constitution, and academics at more than 15 other universities, says: “The conditions imposed by the Metropolitan police on the PSC demonstration on 18 January 2025 were disproportionate and an abuse of police powers.
“Despite a demonstrable track record of overwhelmingly peaceful protests for over a year, the police prevented the demonstration to assemble near, or march towards, the BBC on Saturday without offering any compelling evidence. The police thus seemed to be motivated by political considerations that seek to limit the efficacy of the protesters and shield state institutions from criticism.”
It says that the arrest of the chief stewards of the national Palestine marches and others represents “a worrying escalation in the assault on the right to protest in general, and on anti-war and pro-Palestine protests in particular” and calls for “a repeal of the raft of anti-protest laws passed in recent years”.
The chief steward and the director of PSC were among 12 people charged. All but two were charged with public order offences.
The PSC said the Met had reneged on a previous agreement to allow a march from BBC Portland Place to Whitehall, a route taken several times before.
Dr Paul O’Connell, reader in law at Soas University of London, said the letter was signed by leading lawyers and academics “who, in one capacity or another, have worked on issues related to human rights and the rule of law for decades”.
He added: “It shows, in no uncertain terms, that these experts have the gravest of concerns about the policing of the PSC demonstration on 18 January 2025, and more generally about the assault on the right to protest in Britain.
“Freedom to assemble and protest is the very lifeblood of a democratic society. If people protesting the commission of a genocide in Gaza are not safe to do so, then it bodes ill for individual freedom and democratic life in Britain in the twenty-first century.”
He said the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, who the letter was addressed to, along with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the attorney general, Lord Hermer KC must “make sure that the law and police tactics in Britain protect and facilitate the right to protest, as required by regional and international human rights treaties that Britain is a party to”.
The Met has been approached for comment.
