A growing number of politicians and activists have condemned Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for her handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and new restrictions on protests.
Labour MP Zarah Sultana accused Mahmood of “trampling on civil liberties” by backing arrests of peaceful demonstrators and maintaining arms trade links with Israel. “She’s criminalising dissent while allowing weapons to flow to an apartheid state,” Sultana wrote on social media, adding that Mahmood’s stance “betrays those standing for Palestinian human rights.”
In a separate interview with Sky News, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said it was “deeply irresponsible” for the Home Secretary to link protests over Gaza to last week’s Manchester synagogue attack.
“Peaceful protest is a foundation of democracy,” Polanski said. “It’s disturbing to see the government use a horrific act of violence as a pretext to silence people speaking out against the war in Gaza.”
Public criticism has also come from beyond politics. British comedian Tez Ilyas shared an old photo of Mahmood at a 2014 pro-Palestine rally, suggesting she had “changed her tune” since entering high office. “Before she gained access to power, she was on the other side of the barricades,” Ilyas wrote in his caption.
The backlash reflects growing tension within the UK’s political establishment over freedom of expression, police powers, and the government’s stance on Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
