- Cast your vote on the biggest talking points of the day, every day
- Final results will be announced in tomorrow’s poll
The Home Secretary has approved a request from the Metropolitan Police to ban a pro-Iranian march planned for Sunday ‘to prevent serious public disorder’.
The annual Al Quds Day march in London had drawn criticism over apparent backing for Iran‘s regime after its organisers expressed support for the country’s late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Several counter-protests had also been planned for the day.
Announcing a ban on the march, Shabana Mahmood said she was ‘satisfied doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East’.
She added: ‘Should a stationary demonstration proceed, the police will be able to apply strict conditions. I expect to see the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division instead of exercising their right to peaceful protest.’
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), which organises the march, has since confirmed a ‘static protest’ will go ahead instead on Sunday; while the Met said the law does not allow the police or Government to ban such a demonstration.
Now you can have your say on the march being banned in the Mail’s latest poll:
In yesterday’s poll, Mail readers were asked: ‘Do you believe war in the Middle East is ‘pretty much’ over, as Donald Trump claims?‘ Out of more than 6,000 votes, some 90 per cent of you said ‘no’ and 10 per cent said ‘yes’.
