New protest powers to be introduced amid widespread outrage over pro-Palestine marches

Pro-Palestine protest organisers face up to six months in prison if they flout new restrictions designed to protect communities from repeat demonstrations.

Police chiefs will be allowed to consider the "cumulative impact" of marches following widespread outrage over marches held in the wake of the Manchester synagogue atrocity.

And they could order protest organisers to move their demos.

People attending the marches could be jailed for three months, whilst organisers could face six months behind bars.

It comes as almost 500 people were arrested on Saturday for supporting Palestine Action, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

In a statement on X, the Board of Deputies for British Jews said: "The crass insensitivity shown by the protesters, more than 400 of whom were arrested for supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation, is an affront to public decency."

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will also review existing legislation to ensure that existing legislation is fit for purpose. This will include powers to ban protests, the Home Office said.

Ms Mahmood said: "The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country. However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear.

"Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.

"This has been particularly evident in relation to the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been expressed to me on many occasions in these recent difficult days.

"These changes mark an important step in ensuring we protect the right to protest while ensuring all feel safe in this country."

The Government will amend Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to allow chiefs to consider the overall impact of protests on communities.

Policing Minister Sarah Jones visited Lambeth Police HQ yesterday to see the Metropolitan Police's response to yesterday's protests where almost 500 were arrested. Most of those arrests were made for supporting the proscribed group, Palestine Action.

The Metropolitan Police said 488 arrests were made for supporting the proscribed organisation Palestine Action, including six people who were detained for unfurling a banner backing the proscribed group on Westminster Bridge.

Most of the arrests occurred in Trafalgar Square, where protesters held placards showing their support for Palestine Action.

The Met said the youngest person arrested was 18 and the oldest 89, with a final total of 492 arrests, the others for being drunk and disorderly, common assault, a public order offence and being wanted for an unrelated crime.

On Saturday night, 297 remained in custody while the rest had been bailed.

The Home Secretary will also write to Chief Constables today, thanking them for their swift and professional response following Thursday's terrible attack and at protests across the country.

She will encourage them to use the full range of powers available to them to prevent and respond to public disorder.

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick on Saturday morning blasted the "pathetically weak and cowardly elite class" for failing to protect Jewish people in Britain.

Mr Jenrick said "we can choose to root out this cancer if our leaders actually care".

Writing in the Daily Express, he warned the deadly attack was "sadly the logical endpoint of this escalating extremism".

The Shadow Justice Secretary added: "Warning after warning was ignored by people in authority. A feeble and spineless class of leaders have tolerated antisemitism and allowed it to grow. Whether in our universities, charities, institutions like the BBC or even the NHS, our elite class turned a blind eye.

"Their warm words will be cold comfort unless they are accompanied with action. We do not need more performative acts of support, we need them to root out extremism and antisemitism ruthlessly wherever it rears its head."