British MPs raise concerns about London Al Quds march over Iran, terrorism links

The IHRC is relatively well-known given its pro-Hezbollah Al Quds Day parades and its antisemitic rhetoric. Past Al-Quds Day marches have featured IHRC members calling for the eradication of Israel, the waving of Hezbollah flags, and even the appearance of Hamas paraphernalia.

In his 2023 Independent Review of Prevent, William Shawcross informed the House of Commons that IHRC was an “Islamist group ideologically aligned with the Iranian regime, that has a history of ‘extremist links and terrorist sympathies.’”

Shawcross was particularly concerned about the risk of extremism, given that the IHRC had received £10,000 in public funding as part of government support for local businesses during the pandemic.

“The government must ensure there are proper procedures in place to prevent the funding, inadvertent or otherwise, of those who have expressed support for – or justified – violent extremist activity,” said Shawcross, adding that senior figures of the IHRC had espoused support for violent jihad and “advocated for the extraction and eradication of ‘Zionists.’”

Then, in November 2023, The Times revealed that the IHRC was one of half a dozen UK-based groups identified by British officials as having direct ties to Tehran.

The Times also noted that the IHRC’s former director was Saied Reza Ameli, a secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution.

Fears of Iranian influence are not without basis. On March 1, 2026, the day after the commencement of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the IHRC released a statement condemning “the cowardly, treacherous, and illegal assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei.”

“In the Ayatollah’s passing, the world has lost a rare role model who demonstrated that a nation can successfully tread the path of independence although it is besieged by enemies,” it said. The statement went on to eulogize Khamenei as “principled, spiritual and stoic” with an “unshakeable resistance to colonialism.”

“The Ayatollah’s legacy will be etched into history as someone who resisted oppression and stood on the right side of history,” the IHRC concluded.

David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, said: “The police must stop this march from going ahead. We cannot allow hundreds of supporters of Iran’s hardline regime to march through London calling for strikes on Israel and death to the West.”

“The march is organized by a ‘charity’ with a history of support for the ayatollahs and Islamist terrorism. In the past, we have seen open support for terrorist organizations at these demonstrations. These are people who clearly hate Britain. Why should we be OK with them marching on our streets?”

Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham, said that allowing the event to proceed carried a high risk of disorder.

“It’s completely inappropriate for supporters of the Iranian regime to be allowed to march through London while British forces are under attack from Iran – and risks serious public disorder,” he said. “I would urge the authorities to ban this march.”

Lord Austin of Dudley, a former Labour MP, said: “It is outrageous that supporters of Iran’s terror regime are allowed to march on Britain’s streets calling for the destruction of Western democracy. I’m all for freedom of speech, but this is a hate march by fans of a theocratic Islamist dictatorship that recently slaughtered 36,000 of its own citizens who dared to come out and protest against it.

IHRC responded to The Times article in the comments section on its website, saying that some of the points were factually incorrect and that the Al Quds march was “a non-confessional, family-oriented event that calls for justice for Palestinians.”

IHRC said the rally has been “routinely demonized and targeted by Israel-first politicians and media, often in totally untruthful ways.” It accused David Taylor, Luke Akehurst, and Lord Austin of trying to “silence lawful and moral activism in service of Israel.”

The police went on to say that numbers would likely “be increased and the possibility of counter protest is greater. We will keep all these matters under careful review and will publish the details of our policing plan closer to the time.”

“In response to the question of a ban, it is important to recognize that the police do not have the power to ban protest,” the spokesperson added. “They can apply to the Home Secretary for a ban, but only if there is a risk of serious disorder that cannot be managed by the use of police tactics or the imposition of Public Order Act conditions alone. That is a high threshold.”

Nevertheless, “Officers will still take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime, including antisemitism, and support for proscribed organizations. They will intervene decisively where they see people crossing the line from lawful protest to criminality.”

It is worth noting that the IHRC has expressed consistent antipathy toward the UK’s Holocaust Memorial Day. In January 2025, it wrote to 460 town halls and educational centers asking them to boycott the Holocaust day, saying it was “morally unacceptable” that Gaza was not considered a “genocide” alongside the Holocaust.