politics
Starmer Proposes Ban on Pro-Palestine Marches
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that some pro-Palestine marches could be banned and that using the phrase 'globalise the Intifada' could lead to prosecution. The comments follow a stabbing attack in London's Golders Green that prompted a rise in the UK's security alert level. Separately, a Syrian asylum seeker's case highlights operations under a UK-France migration deal.
AJ
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated in a BBC interview on May 2, 2026, that some pro-Palestine marches could be banned. He said people who use the phrase 'globalise the Intifada' could be prosecuted. Starmer described the chant as 'extreme racism' and said those who use it 'should be prosecuted'.
He said he thought it would be appropriate to completely bar some pro-Palestine rallies in some cases. The term intifada came into popular use during the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1987.
Starmer's comments followed a stabbing attack in Golders Green, northwest London, on April 30, 2026, where two men were stabbed. A 45-year-old British national born in Somalia was remanded in custody on May 1, 2026, accused of attempted murder in the Golders Green stabbing. Starmer visited Golders Green on April 30, 2026, following the attack.
He visited the scene of the attacks and a Jewish volunteer ambulance service on May 1, 2026. The UK increased its security alert level to severe on May 1, 2026, in part because of the Golders Green attack. British police arrested more than 500 people during a mass vigil in central London last month to oppose the ban on campaign group Palestine Action.
Separately, a 26-year-old Kurdish man from Syria arrived in the UK on a small boat and was sent back to France in November 2025. French authorities rejected the asylum claim lodged by the 26-year-old Kurdish man from Syria.
The rejection letter from French authorities stated that Syria is safe for the 26-year-old Kurdish man from Syria. Syria is not on the recently updated EU list of safe countries for asylum seekers to be returned to. The asylum interview in France for the 26-year-old Kurdish man lasted one hour and 12 minutes followed by a further interview of 49 minutes.
The 26-year-old Kurdish man fled Syria last year after the village chief told him the YPG had his name on a list for forced conscription. The 26-year-old Kurdish man fled Syria with family members including his mother and younger siblings using smugglers to cross from Syria to Turkey. Smugglers separated the 26-year-old Kurdish man from his family in Turkey and forced him into a different lorry.
