Review into UK protest laws failed to invite Palestine march organisers for consultation
The UK review into new laws accused of curbing the right to protest has been criticised for failing to invite the coalition that organises national marches for Palestine for consultation.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood last November announced an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, after saying a pro-Gaza demonstration should not have been held days after a deadly antisemitic attack on a synagogue in Manchester.
Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC, a crossbench peer and former director of prosecutions, was tasked with reviewing whether recent legislation amendments were being implemented effectively.
Mahmood had announced new police powers to ban protests and consider the "cumulative impact" of repeated protests in the same area.
In December, the Metropolitan and Greater Manchester police forces announced they would arrest people for chanting "globalise the intifada" or holding placards displaying the phrase.
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The review, which is expected to conclude this month, initially attracted criticism because its terms of reference were not available publicly.
And MEE has learnt that the Palestine Coalition, which has organised 33 national marches for Palestine, was initially not invited to participate in the review.
The coalition's largest member organisation, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), has more than 15,000 members and close to 100 branches across the UK.
In its submission to the review, seen by MEE, the Palestine Coalition said: "The Palestine Coalition, and organisations representing a broad and diverse range of British Palestinian experiences and perspectives, had to proactively seek invitation to partake in this review, having originally been excluded from the list of invitees.
"Members of the public were originally unable to access the terms of reference, and the Palestine Coalition is aware that those approached for evidence have only been permitted a short period for consultation in order for the review to be complete by February 2026."
The PSC's director, Ben Jamal, has previously given evidence to a parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry on policing and protest in December 2023.
Controversy over review
Macdonald, who is leading the review, has previously taken public stances on Israel's conduct in Gaza.
In October 2023, Macdonald co-wrote a letter to The Times newspaper with Lord David Pannick arguing that Israel's siege and bombardment of Gaza constituted self-defence.
'The Palestine Coalition rejects the outrageous attempts by the government to connect the horrendous attack on a Manchester synagogue on 2 October 2025 with protests'
- Palestine Coalition submission
Then in April 2024 the peer signed a letter by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) to then-Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, arguing: "There is no justification for suspending the sale of weapons to Israel without evidence of systematic violation by Israel of international law."
Since it was founded in 2011, UKLFI has been at the forefront of efforts to discredit and pressure individuals and organisations that criticise Israeli policies or express solidarity with Palestinians.
The Palestine Coalition's submission to the review said that "demonstrations are necessary as a way to show support for the Palestinian people, whose rights and very survival are under existential threat; and to register mass opposition to the ongoing political, diplomatic and military support given by the British government to Israel".
It added: "The Palestine Coalition rejects the outrageous attempts by the government to connect the horrendous attack on a Manchester synagogue on 2 October 2025 with protests... There is no evidence linking this horrific incident to any form of protest."
Police failed to meet Jewish Bloc
The coalition said: "As acknowledged publicly by the police, the overwhelming character of the national marches organised by the Palestine Coalition has been peaceful and well-disciplined – reflecting a broad cross-section of society and accompanied by a lower arrest rate than is typical at other large events such as football games and music festivals."
The submission also said London's Metropolitan Police had "so far failed to organise an in-person meeting with the Jewish Bloc delegation" involved with the marches.
The Jewish Bloc recently argued in a statement that "there is zero evidence beyond rhetorical assertion that the marches are antisemitic in character".
According to the Home Office, Macdonald's review would consider whether existing laws effectively balance the need to protect communities from hate and intimidation with the right to protest.
In January a joint statement by 40 civil society groups, including Amnesty International UK, Liberty and the National Education Union, denounced the government's planned legal changes as a "draconian crackdown on our rights to freedom of expression and assembly".
Ryvka Barnard, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told MEE: "The government is escalating attacks on our fundamental democratic right to protest in order to shield itself from accountability over its complicity in Israel’s genocide.
"All those who care about democracy should be alarmed and stand in opposition to these plans."
MEE has contacted Macdonald for comment.
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