Overview
- Starmer, in a BBC interview on Saturday, urged tougher action against chants such as “globalise the intifada” and said there could be instances where pro-Palestine marches are stopped.
- Britain’s terror threat level rose to severe after Wednesday’s Golders Green stabbings of two Jewish men, and a 45-year-old suspect, Essa Suleiman, was charged with attempted murder on Friday as both victims left hospital.
- Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said Jewish communities face an unprecedented risk and requested funding for 300 extra officers while reviewing whether to use powers to limit planned demonstrations.
- Protest organisers deny targeting synagogues and accuse Rowley of spreading misinformation, while civil-liberties figures including Lord Mann and Shami Chakrabarti warn against banning peaceful protests.
- The phrase “intifada” means uprising, and critics say the chant calls for violence, which is why police and prosecutors are weighing tighter conditions or bans on May marches, a step that could change routes, crowd controls, and how these events are policed.