Thousands of pro-Palestine and pro-Iranian regime protesters around the world have taken to the streets for Al Quds Day events over the weekend, despite various countries initiating bans on rallies.
Al-Quds Day ("Jerusalem Day") is an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan to express solidarity with Palestinians and show support for Iran’s Islamic Regime. It was established by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979.
The UK’s Quds Day march received particular attention this year after Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced it would be banned for the first time ever.
The Metropolitan Police subsequently said that the rally, set to take place on Sunday, 15 March, could take the form of a static protest only.
The ban resulted from a reasonable risk of support for terror or serious public disorder. Additionally, the rally is organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a group believed to have extensive ties to the Islamic regime in Iran and Iranian-backed extremism.
The Met restricted the protest time to a two-hour window between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Several thousand people nevertheless took to the streets of London (near Albert Embankment) on Sunday for the static protest. Most held IRGC flags, Palestinian flags, or posters of former Islamic Republic supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
'Death to America, Death to Israel'
There were also chants of “Death to America,” “Death to Israel,” and “Smash the Zionist settler state.” One man carried a sign reading “Boom boom Tel Aviv.”
Videos showed a heavy police presence, including helicopters, police boats, and riot police. Al-Quds Day was heavily policed by four helicopters and riot squad police.
IHRC said “the ban has only had the effect of pulling in more attention and support for Al-Quds Day” and slammed “the orchestrated hate campaign by pro-Israel politicians and media to thwart the annual event.”
However, Assistant Commissioner and the lead for Public Order Ade Adelekan said,
“We did not take the decision to ban the marches lightly; this is a unique set of circumstances, and it was our assessment that the risk of public disorder was so severe that we did not have any other choice.”
Similar chants of “Death to Israel/America” and chants of terror support were heard across the United States during Friday marches.
A rally through New York saw speakers proclaim support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRGC. The rally was mainly organized by prominent anti-Israel groups such as Pal-Awda, the Bronx Anti-War Coalition, and the Workers World Party.
One video showed a mass chant of “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hezbollah here,” and then the same chant for Hamas.
Another speaker said, “We proclaim our support for the Islamic Republic… We condemn to the absolute highest degree the US-Zionist targeted assassination of the leader and martyr... Ali Khamenei. Martyrdom is our highest honor.”
'Stop eating babies'
One of the speakers led chants of “Stop eating babies, stop raping children,” playing on the libel that Jews eat babies.
Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)flags were also flown.
In Chicago, protesters chanted: “Iran, Iran make us proud” and “IRGC make us proud, bomb these genocidal clowns.”
Speakers in both Chicago and NYC praised the “heroic Al Aqsa Flood” in reference to the October 7, 2023, massacre that Hamas and other Palestinians carried out in the south of Israel.
There were also frequent mentions of Jeffrey Epstein [in London too]. Since the start of the Iran conflict, a conspiracy theory alleging that the war was launched to distract from the Epstein files has become popular.
In New York City, the Israeli flag was displayed with Epstein’s image replacing the Star of David, and in Houston, a display said “Epstein axis vs resistance axis.”
The Anti-Defamation League said it was “deeply troubled by the dangerous rhetoric at this year’s Quds Day rallies across the US, where protesters have openly expressed support for terror groups and the October 7, 2023, massacre and shared antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories.”
“This is open support for terrorism, the destruction of Israel and the US, violent threats against Jews. and promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories,” the ADL noted.
The Al Quds march in Toronto on Saturday also received significant media attention, after Ontario Premier Doug Ford tried to secure a last-minute injunction against it.
“Hate, violence, and intimidation have no place on the streets of Canada, and our government will fight it however we can,” he said.
However, an Ontario judge rejected the request to block the event, citing Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Ford said he was “extremely disappointed” that the court refused to put a stop to Al-Quds Day, “which has long been a venue for antisemitism, hatred, intimidation and the glorification of terrorism.”
Toronto police estimated that 4,500 people attended the Al-Quds Day rally outside the US Consulate.
During the event, terror flags were displayed, including those of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Islamic regime flags; there was the beating of drums, and chanting “Free Palestine.”
Most shocking, perhaps, was the fact that the judge requested a response from Samidoun when considering Ford’s injunction, despite the fact that Samidoun is proscribed as a terror organization in Canada.
While Samidoun claimed it was not present at the march, it issued an urgent call for its supporters to mobilize and protest, and also published a comprehensive list of rally locations and dates worldwide.