Armed police officers at the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, October 2, 2025. PETER BYRNE / AP
People publicly chanting pro-Palestinian calls to "globalize the intifada" will be arrested, UK police warned on Wednesday, December 17, saying the "context had changed" in the wake of Australia's Bondi Beach attack. The announcement by the police forces of London and the northwest English city of Manchester swiftly prompted accusations of political repression by some campaigners.
The move follows father-and-son gunmen killing 15 people on Sunday at a Hanukkah festival on the Sydney beach and an October attack on a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
"We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as 'globalize the intifada'," the UK capital's Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said in a joint statement vowing to "be more assertive." "Violent acts have taken place, the context has changed, words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests."
Jewish groups welcomed the announcement, with the UK's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis calling it "an important step towards challenging the hateful rhetoric we have seen on our streets, which has inspired acts of violence and terror."
