On Saturday 19 April 2025, an unauthorised demonstration took place in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex — an area with a well-established Jewish population and multiple places of worship. The protest, framed as a pro-Palestinian march, was held during Passover and on the Jewish Sabbath. Its organisers included individuals with a clear record of antisemitic statements and associations, and the protest itself had not received authorisation under the Public Order Act.

Despite prior notice from concerned residents and community groups, Essex Police permitted the protest to go ahead. The impact was both immediate and deeply concerning. Synagogue attendance dropped sharply as regular congregants chose to remain at home for their safety. Jewish residents reported being harassed in public, with protestors shouting chants that included explicit references to “intifada” — a term historically linked to violence and communal unrest. Notably, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign formally disassociated itself from the demonstration.

This is not an isolated incident. It reflects a growing pattern of extremist-led protests being allowed to take place in or near religious communities, raising legitimate questions about the proportionality and consistency of policing responses.

In partnership with Stop The Hate UK, We Believe in Israel is launching a targeted campaign to address these failures and help safeguard the right of all communities to live and worship free from intimidation.

Campaign Objectives

The campaign is focused on ensuring that the enforcement of public order law is clear, consistent, and applied equitably across the country. We are calling for:

• Ministerial intervention: The Home Secretary should issue clear guidance to Chief Constables across the UK on policing protests in or near Jewish communities, ensuring that preventative powers under existing legislation are fully utilised.

• Local accountability: Members of Parliament should raise these concerns with the Home Office, ensuring that community fears are acknowledged and addressed at the national level.

• Clarity in operational policing: There must be greater scrutiny of how public order legislation is applied, particularly in instances where demonstrations are led by individuals with known links to extremism or prior convictions related to protest activity.

• Community engagement and reassurance: Policing strategies must be designed with input from affected communities, balancing the right to protest with the responsibility to protect public safety and cohesion.

Next Steps

Over the coming weeks, WBII and Stop The Hate UK will publish a policy briefing, provide MPs and elected officials with resources to act, and coordinate engagement with policing authorities to advance these goals. Our focus is on solutions: improving how law enforcement applies existing powers, reducing community risk, and reinforcing the principle that freedom of expression must never be used as cover for hate or harassment.

Why This Matters

Effective policing is the bedrock of community trust. When minority communities feel unprotected, and when enforcement appears selective or inconsistent, that trust is eroded. The events in Westcliff-on-Sea have underlined the urgent need for clearer national direction and a more robust approach to the policing of protests that intersect with issues of race, religion, and public order.

This campaign is about ensuring that all citizens — regardless of background — can rely on the equal application of the law. Nothing more, nothing less.

Write to Your MP - use our model letter 

Subject: Unauthorised Protest in Westcliff-on-Sea – Urgent Need for National Guidance on Policing

Hello,

I am writing as your constituent to express serious concern about an unauthorised and intimidatory protest that took place in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, on Saturday 19 April. The event raises broader questions about how police forces are applying public order legislation when demonstrations are held in sensitive residential areas, particularly those home to religious minority communities.

The protest in question was not authorised under the Public Order Act and was disowned by mainstream campaign groups. It was organised by individuals with well-documented histories of antisemitic rhetoric and associations. Despite these warning signs, and despite advance notice given by concerned residents, the protest was permitted to go ahead — coinciding with the Jewish Sabbath and the festival of Passover.

The impact on the local Jewish community was immediate and deeply troubling. Many synagogue attendees stayed home out of fear. Those who did attend reported being shouted at, followed, and confronted with chants including calls for “intifada.” One demonstrator brandished a crucifix in a manner widely interpreted as echoing medieval antisemitic imagery. Observers have noted that Essex Police officers engaged more actively with Jewish residents than with the demonstrators, some of whom have prior records linked to public disorder.

This incident should not be viewed in isolation. It reflects a growing concern that extremist-led protests are being allowed to proceed in locations where the intent appears to be less about political expression and more about provoking fear and division.

I therefore urge you, as my elected representative, to raise the following points with the Home Secretary:

• That existing public order legislation — including the Public Order Act 1986 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 — should be more consistently and robustly enforced in cases where there is a credible risk of community intimidation;

• That national guidance should be issued to police forces on the policing of protests in or near religious minority communities, particularly in cases where organisers have a known history of hate speech or public order offences;

• That ministers should affirm publicly that freedom of expression does not extend to incitement or intimidation, and that protest must never be used as a cover for targeting faith communities.

The Jewish community in Westcliff-on-Sea, like communities across the UK, has the right to practise its faith and live in peace. It is essential that the Government acts now to ensure consistent, fair and proportionate policing nationwide.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I would be grateful for a response outlining what steps you intend to take and whether you will raise this directly with the Home Secretary.

Yours sincerely,

Or Use Our Second Model Letter

Dear x,
I write as a constituent to express my deep concern that an unlawful protest by extremists targeting the Jewish community in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex was allowed to go ahead on Saturday 19 April.

The organisers of the march had a clear track record of antisemitism and links to antisemitic figures. The location for what was supposed to be a pro-Palestinian march had no significance for its purported purpose.

The area’s streets are home to several synagogues and hundreds of Jewish families who, it need hardly be added, have no connection to or responsibility for the actions of the State of Israel. It should be noted that the Palestine Solidarity Campaign disowned the protest.

The organisers had neither sought nor been given permission for the march, in flagrant disregard for the Public Order Act.
Members of the community warned Essex Police beforehand of their concern about the march taking place and their fears of the intimidation it would cause. Yet despite these pleas, the unlawful march was allowed to go ahead.

The impact was devastating. Many synagogue-goers who have attended services every Saturday – the Jewish sabbath - for many years stayed away out of fear.
Jews who were out and about faced intimidating cries shouted out by protestors, including calls for ‘intifada’. One demonstrator held up a cardboard crucifix in a scene that horrified commentators have observed echoed medieval antisemitism.

Officers from Essex Police obstructed law-abiding Jews at they went about their business, and did not intervene to stop incitement and provocation by demonstrators, whose numbers included individuals with a history of arrests or convictions for offences relating to protests.

Essex Police have clearly failed in their duty to protect the Jewish community. Urgent action is needed to ensure such scenes are never repeated in our country.
I therefore ask that you urge Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to draw upon existing public order law and issue guidance to forces nationwide on the policing of protests in Jewish areas. Ms Cooper must state in no uncertain terms that unlawful protests will not be tolerated, and that demonstrators committing criminal acts should expect a rapid response from officers enforcing the law.

The police must distinguish between legitimate protest and the unlawful activities of groups that are nothing more than hate gangs.
Failing to do so will do grave damage to the Jewish community and Britain as a whole.

As the next stage of this campaign, We Believe in Israel and Stop The Hate UK will be issuing a set of targeted policy recommendations and an accompanying information pack to Members of Parliament, relevant government departments, and police authorities. These materials will outline specific actions the Home Office and law enforcement agencies can take to ensure the consistent application of public order legislation, protect minority communities from intimidation, and reaffirm Britain’s commitment to equal protection under the law. Our goal is to provide a constructive, actionable framework that addresses both immediate community safety concerns and the longer-term challenges posed by extremist-led protest activity.