Thousands Flood London’s South Bank in Pro-Iran Al-Quds Rally, Riot Police on Edge
London’s South Bank was engulfed today by thousands of pro-Iran protesters at the annual Al-Quds rally, branded a “hate march” by critics. Over 1,000 riot police were deployed to prevent outbreaks of violence during the fiery event.
Demonstrators waved placards bearing incendiary slogans such as “boom boom Tel Aviv” and roared chants of “from the river to the sea” and “Israel is a terror state.” Huge images of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba were held aloft, sparking tension.
Heavy Police Presence and Multiple Arrests
The Met confirmed three arrests so far: one for supporting a banned organisation, another for dangerous driving, and a third for threatening behaviour. The usual march was banned by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who feared serious disorder. Instead, protesters were forced into a two-hour static rally.
Police used the River Thames as a physical buffer, separating the pro-Iran crowd from about 100 counter-demonstrators on the opposite bank, who waved Israeli flags and held signs reading “Hamas is a terrorist”. Lambeth Bridge was lined with police vans, while a patrol boat monitored the river.
Fiery Speeches Ignite Tensions
Speakers launched scathing attacks at UK leaders and foreign policy. Hussain Shafiei of the Workers Party slammed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as a “tool of the deep state”, accusing Britain of “helping this genocide.”
“America and Israel, you are not going to be able to swallow Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu is gone — the murderer of Gaza and Lebanon and Palestine — you’re not going to win.”
Meanwhile, Rabbi Elhanan Beck, present at the event, urged peace and coexistence.
“For centuries, we lived together in peace. Now Israel wants to destroy Palestine,”
he said, sporting a “Free Palestine” badge.
Rare March Ban and Strict Policing
Met Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan defended the rare decision to ban the march, saying, “We did not take the decision lightly. The risk of public disorder was severe.” It was London’s first prohibited protest march in 14 years.
Police warned they would crack down hard on anyone chanting intifada slogans or showing support for Palestine Action, branding it a proscribed group. Officers guarded mosques, synagogues, and the Iranian and Israeli embassies throughout.
Controversy Swirls Around Organisers and Funding
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), organisers of the rally, slammed the march ban but vowed to hold their static protest as planned. The IHRC has come under fierce scrutiny for receiving £458,500 in taxpayer funds since 2020 despite alleged links to extremism and ties to the Iranian regime.
Last weekend, a fundraiser connected with the IHRC was caught on camera shouting slogans like “death to the IDF” and praising Khamenei, sparking outrage among critics and former government extremism advisers.
Despite the drama, the Al-Quds rally has been a London fixture for 40 years, dating back to Iran’s 1979 revolution as a day of anti-Israel protest.
