Police in London and Manchester have announced new powers to crack down on the language used by ‘pro-Palestinian’ protestors. A joint statement from the Greater Manchester (GMP) and London Metropolitan police forces have indicated that the slogan “globalise the intifada” and its equivalents could be treated “more robustly” and result in arrest.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson announced that
Free speech is an important right in this country that can’t extend to inciting hatred or harassing others.
The apparent policy change comes after a 20-year-old University of Oxford student was charged with stirring up racial hatred. After “workshopping” the slogan at university, Samuel Williams allegedly chanted for Gaza to “put the Zios in the ground” at a protest in central London.
The incident took place during a Palestine Coalition demonstration on October 11th, and video footage of the chant prompted a police investigation. Williams was arrested four days later and is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 27 January 2026.
Such words would likely now come under closer scrutiny of the GMP or London Met, who say that there is not a new policy but a ‘recalibration’ of their existing approach to so-called hate marches in their cities. Senior police figures are presenting the change as a response to antisemitic Bondi Beach pogrom on Sunday, December 14th.
