UK terror watchdog urges 'moratorium' on pro-Palestine marches

The UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, has called for a "moratorium" on pro-Palestine marches because of recent antisemitic attacks in London.

A 45-year-old Somali-born British national was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after two Jewish men in Golders Green, aged 34 and 76, were stabbed in a London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population. Both are expected to make a full recovery.

The Metropolitan Police have said they believe the incident was connected to a separate "altercation" in south-east London a few hours beforehand. 

Police said the suspect has a "history of serious violence and mental health issues" and had been referred to the Prevent counter-extremism programme in 2020.

Speaking on Times Radio after the incident, Hall said: "We are now at a point at which the government needs to start to take more risks as to what it’s prepared to do."

He added: "It pains me to say this, but I think we may have reached a point where we need to have a moratorium on the sorts of marches that have been happening.

"It’s clearly impossible at the moment for any of these pro-Palestine marches not to incubate within them some sort of antisemitic or demonising language."

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