The Metropolitan Police says it is investigating chants of “death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” led by Bobby Vylan, of the punk duo Bob Vylan, at an Al Quds Day protest in central London.
Hundreds attended static protests on Sunday after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood agreed to a police request to ban the annual march over fears of public disorder.
Twelve arrests were made during a protest and counter-protest, the Met said.
Videos on social media appeared to show Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, making a speech at the demonstration before chanting “death, death to the IDF” as the crowd joined in.
In a post on X, the Met said: “We are aware of chanting made by a speaker at the Al Quds protest and will be investigating.
“We recognise the concern footage and chanting like this causes, particularly with London’s Jewish communities.
“When this language had been used previously we sought advice from the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) who determined that there would be insufficient evidence to take a case forward.”
The CPS said it was aware of the chants at Sunday’s protest, adding “we carefully consider each case referred to us for charging decision or early advice to see whether it can be taken to court”.
The spokesperson said that in cases where the evidence is not sufficient, the CPS works with police to identify what more can be done to meet the threshold for charging.
“Hateful chanting or waving of offensive flags may constitute an offence and where behaviour goes beyond lawful protest we will not hesitate to prosecute,” they added.
Twelve people were arrested for showing support for a proscribed organisation, affray, dangerous driving and threatening or abusive behaviour, police said.
Lambeth Bridge was closed on Sunday afternoon and around 1,000 officers were on duty to keep both groups apart.
The organisers described it as a pro-Palestinian protest but the Met say those behind the demonstration are supportive of the Iranian regime.
At the Al Quds rally, many people waved the Iranian flag and held placards which said “Choose the right side of history”.
Some demonstrators chanted “from the river to the sea” while others held pictures of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Al-Quds Day, named after the Arabic name for Jerusalem, is often held on the last Friday of Ramadan.
It was first held shortly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Marches are held around the world, with the largest in Iran.
At the counter-protest on the north bank of the River Thames, a range of different groups gathered, including Stop the Hate, a Jewish-led group set up to campaign against antisemitism, and anti-Iranian regime groups, Lion Guard of Iran and the Free Iran Coalition.
Some people waved Israeli flags, and one sign read “Hamas is terrorist”.
Co-founder of Stop the Hate UK, Itai Galmudy, told the BBC he had advocated for two-and-a-half-years to ban “these hate marches” and he believed “the political pressure finally got to where it needs to be”.
“Allowing them to still stand in front of us and still spew their hate, even if it’s a static protest – that’s not something that should be facilitated in our country,” said Galmudy.
Laleh Tangsiri, from Lion Guard of Iran, said she felt “very disappointed that we are not allowed to march and be a voice for people who are living in terror for 47 years”.
The home secretary approved a request by the Met for a month-long ban on the annual march, organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) – a power last used in 2012.
There is no law banning static protests, meaning these could go ahead.
The Met said its assessment was that a static protest would be easier to police and “prevent the two sides from coming together”.
Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan earlier said while the decision to ban the marches was not taken lightly, “the risk of public disorder was so severe, we did not have any other choice”.
After the protests, he said “our policing plan worked” and significantly fewer people attend than anticipated. “This shows our decision to apply for the ban was the right one.”
During 2024’s march, 10 people were arrested, the Met said at the time.
Additional reporting by Nick Triggle and Simon Jones