London Police Probe Anti-IDF Chants at Al Quds Protest

London police are investigating chants of "death to the IDF" led by rapper Pascal Robinson-Foster, known as Bobby Vylan, during a static pro-Palestinian protest in central London on Sunday, March 15, 2026. The event, part of the annual Al Quds Day demonstrations, drew hundreds of participants along the River Thames, with 12 arrests made amid heightened security measures.

The protest replaced a planned march that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood banned at the request of the Metropolitan Police, citing risks of serious public disorder linked to Middle East tensions. This marked the first such restriction on a protest since 2012. Organizers from the Islamic Human Rights Commission allowed a static assembly between Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., where demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, held images of Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and chanted slogans including "Free Palestine" and "From the river to the sea." One banner read "Boom boom Tel Aviv," and others supported Gaza.

Robinson-Foster, frontman of the rap duo Bob Vylan, addressed the crowd before leading the "death, death to the IDF" chant, echoing a similar performance at Glastonbury Festival...