The UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has expressed concern over what it perceives as potentially heavy-handed policing of demonstrations related to Gaza. In a letter addressed to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, the EHRC highlighted instances where peaceful protesters were threatened with arrest under the Terrorism Act for displaying Palestinian flags and slogans such as “Free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide.” The Commission emphasized that such actions could undermine public confidence in human rights protections and called for clearer guidance to ensure that police responses do not deter lawful expression and peaceful assembly. The Guardian

The EHRC’s concerns come amid a broader context of over 700 arrests related to support for Palestine Action, a group recently proscribed under the Terrorism Act. Critics argue that the government’s expanded definition of terrorism disproportionately restricts freedom of expression and could lead to inconsistent legal outcomes. Human rights organizations, including Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch, and Friends of the Earth, have called for a suspension of prosecutions until a pending judicial review on the group’s proscription is resolved.

The EHRC reiterated its role in protecting democratic freedoms and urged authorities to balance public safety with the protection of human rights, ensuring that the right to protest is upheld without undue interference.