A police ban on antizionist protests in a Jewish area of north London was not unlawful, a High Court judge has said.
The International Jewish Antizionist Network UK (Ijan-UK) held regular protests in the Swiss Cottage area between October 2023 and May 2025.
The demonstrations, sometimes held weekly on a Shabbat evening, prompted counter-protests by pro-Israel group Stop The Hate UK, causing “confrontation, police intervention, complaints and arrests”, Mr Justice Sweeting said.
The protests, which started after the Israeli response to the October 7 attacks, began outside the residence of the Israeli ambassador before moving to other areas in Swiss Cottage when legal restrictions were imposed by police.
On May 7, 2025, the Metropolitan Police imposed conditions under the Public Order Act preventing the group from holding its protests in the Swiss Cottage area, and the order was repeated on subsequent occasions.
Protester Janet Simon, a Jewish resident of Camden, attempted to challenge the Metropolitan Police decision at the High Court.
On Tuesday, Sweeting said her claim should not proceed to a full hearing as police had made a lawful decision.
The judge said: “The claimant contends that the restrictions effectively prevent Ijan-UK from protesting in the location which gives the protest its particular significance, namely an area containing a substantial Jewish community with whom the protesters seek to engage.
“The defendant’s position is that the restrictions were imposed in response to prolonged disruption affecting the local community and following a careful assessment of public order risks.”
He said the police’s decision was “plainly open to them” given the “significant effects” of the protests and counter-protests on the Swiss Cottage community.
Police had used the Public Order Act to move the protests on occasions before May 7, 2025, and these decisions were not legally challenged.
At a hearing in August, Alex Goodman KC, representing Simon, said that the location of the protest was important because the intended audience included members of the Jewish community in Swiss Cottage and that much of the disruption was caused by counter-protesters.
George Thomas KC, for the police, said the decision had been reached by “experienced senior officers” responsible for managing “a difficult and evolving public order situation” and the concern was “the cumulative impact on the local community of recurring protests and counter-protests over an extended period”.
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