Organisers of a planned pro-Palestine demonstration in Trafalgar Square defy calls to postpone, asserting their right to peaceful protest amidst heightened security concerns following recent terrorist attacks and government warnings.
Organisers of a pro-Palestine protest planned for central London this Saturday have confirmed they will proceed despite strong appeals from the Metropolitan Police and the Home Secretary to delay or cancel the event in light of a recent terrorist attack. The protest group, Defend Our Juries, which opposes the government’s ban on the pro-Palestinian organisation Palestine Action, insists that canceling peaceful demonstrations only serves to embolden terror. They anticipate around 1,500 participants, including a diverse group of priests, vicars, pensioners, and healthcare workers, with potentially hundreds more joining on the day without prior registration.
This planned demonstration, set to take place in Trafalgar Square, comes just days after a deadly attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where two people were killed and others injured. The attacker, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was neutralised by police following the assault. The attack has heightened security concerns and fears within Jewish communities across the UK.
The Metropolitan Police, led by Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, expressed deep apprehension that resources are being diverted from protecting vulnerable communities towards policing the protest. The Met warned that if the protest goes ahead as planned, they will mobilise support from police forces across the country to ensure law and order. They stressed that many of the previous protests organised by Defend Our Juries led to mass arrests—over 1,400 people in recent months—for supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action. Commissioner Rowley emphasised the challenge police face in balancing community safety with managing demonstrations, calling the timing of the protest “likely to create further tensions” during a sensitive period of national mourning.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, joined calls for the protest’s cancellation, describing the ongoing demonstrations as unhelpful and fundamentally un-British in the wake of the synagogue attack. She voiced disappointment at recent protests near Downing Street that resulted in 40 arrests, including six for assaults on police officers. Ms Mahmood urged protest organisers to consider the wider impact of their actions on community cohesion and public safety.
Defend Our Juries responded by expressing solidarity with the Jewish community and condemning the Manchester attack as terrorism. They criticised what they see as the government’s authoritarian crackdown on peaceful protests, arguing that postponing the march risks conflating the actions of the Israeli state with Jews worldwide, potentially stoking antisemitism. The group insists their protest is about opposing the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action and condemning what they describe as genocide committed by the Israeli government, not about opposing any religious community. They reiterated their commitment to defending democracy, freedom of speech, and the right to protest peacefully.
The upcoming protest is expected to be the largest mass action defying the ban on Palestine Action, with pledges from 1,500 participants to risk arrest by displaying slogans such as “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Organisers and rights advocates have highlighted the scale of arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 since the ban’s introduction earlier this year, noting that critics see the government’s approach as a severe infringement on civil liberties and the right to protest.
Additional security measures will be in place across London for the weekend, including specialist Project Servator officers trained to detect potential threats and armed police ready for rapid deployment, reflecting the heightened sensitivity around public gatherings in the current climate. Police continue to work closely with event organisers to ensure security arrangements are robust.
This protest and the government’s response illuminate the ongoing tensions surrounding the contentious issue of Palestine Action and the UK’s measures to suppress it, set against a backdrop of recent violence that has intensified societal divisions. The situation remains fluid, with protests likely to continue even as authorities seek to maintain public order and community safety.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative is current, with the earliest known publication date being October 3, 2025. The report is based on a press release from Defend Our Juries, which typically warrants a high freshness score. However, similar content has appeared in other outlets, such as The Canary on October 1, 2025, and Byline Times on October 1, 2025. The presence of multiple sources indicates that the information is not exclusive to this report. Additionally, the article includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. ([thecanary.co](https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/10/01/defend-our-juries-4-october/?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The report includes direct quotes from Defend Our Juries and the Metropolitan Police. The earliest known usage of these quotes appears in the press release dated October 3, 2025. Identical quotes appear in earlier material, indicating potential reuse. No online matches were found for some quotes, suggesting they may be original or exclusive content.
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The narrative originates from a press release by Defend Our Juries, an organisation with a limited online presence. While the press release provides direct information from the group, the lack of broader coverage raises questions about the reliability of the source. The Metropolitan Police’s statements are also included, but their perspectives are not independently verified in this report.
Plausability check
Score:
7
Notes:
The claims about the planned protest and the responses from the Metropolitan Police and the Home Secretary are plausible and align with previous reports on similar events. However, the lack of supporting detail from other reputable outlets and the absence of specific factual anchors (e.g., names, institutions, dates) reduce the score and flag the report as potentially synthetic. The tone and language used are consistent with the region and topic, and there is no excessive or off-topic detail unrelated to the claim.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative presents current information about the planned protest by Defend Our Juries, with direct quotes from the group and the Metropolitan Police. While the report is based on a press release, the lack of broader coverage and the presence of similar content in other outlets raise questions about its originality and reliability. The absence of supporting detail from other reputable sources and the lack of specific factual anchors further reduce confidence in the report’s credibility.
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