Review into UK protest laws failed to invite Palestine march organisers for consultation
A protester in a wheelchair is escorted away by police officers after taking part in a demonstration in support of Defend Our Juries and their campaign against the ban on Palestine Action, in Leeds on 18 November 2025
Imran Mulla reports in Middle East Eye on 4 February 2026:
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.
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.