Greater Manchester Police moved on Wednesday to say people using the phrase 'globalise the intifada' on placards or in chants at future protests should expect arrests. In a joint statement with the Met, chiefs Sir Stephen Watson and Sir Mark Rowley said recent attacks had changed the context: "Words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests." Frontline officers are being briefed now, they added.

Both forces said they will use Public Order Act powers to set conditions at sensitive locations. The Met flagged conditions around synagogues during services, while visible patrols and protective security are being stepped up at synagogues, schools and community venues in both London and Greater Manchester.

The tougher line follows Sunday’s terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where a father and son opened fire on a Hanukkah gathering; 15 people were killed and many more injured. The surviving suspect has since been charged with multiple counts, including terrorism, as Australia held vigils for the victims.

Manchester is still grieving after the 2 October attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, where worshippers Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz were killed. Police shot the attacker dead at the scene and are treating the incident as terrorism.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has urged action on chants such as 'globalise the intifada', warning that hate speech can turn into "hate action". Speaking after the Bondi attack, he said: "On Bondi Beach, Australians discovered what is meant by those words," adding that the public expects firmer policing.

Protest organisers condemned the move. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, called it "another low in the political repression of protest for Palestinian rights", arguing police failed to consult coalitions organising major marches or representative Palestinian groups before issuing a far‑reaching statement.

Jewish organisations largely welcomed the change. The Board of Deputies said it had long warned that slogans like 'globalise the intifada' risk inciting violence and "strongly" welcomed a clearer, tougher approach from police leaders in London and Manchester.

Campaign Against Antisemitism went further, branding a focus on a single chant a "useless token measure" and questioning how any ban would be enforced on large, fast‑moving demonstrations.

Legally, the ground remains tricky. The CPS has stressed that potential hate‑crime charges are highly context‑specific, and police chiefs acknowledge prosecutors have previously advised that many protest phrases do not meet current thresholds. The two forces say they will be "more assertive" under existing Public Order Act powers, and the courts are likely to test the boundaries.

In Westminster, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told MPs on Wednesday 17 December that funding for Jewish security is rising to up to £28m this year and confirmed a review of protest and hate‑crime laws, alongside work on new powers for repeated, targeted protests.

For Greater Manchester, the near‑term picture is practical: more officers on foot near synagogues over Shabbat, more reassurance patrols at schools, and closer liaison with protest organisers ahead of weekend marches. Police are advising groups to think carefully about wording on placards and chants or risk arrests under the new approach.

What the words mean remains contested. Britannica notes intifada literally means "shaking off" and is widely associated with the Palestinian uprisings of 1987 and 2000. Supporters say the phrase signals resistance to occupation; opponents hear a call for violence against Jews. That dispute will now be argued on the streets of Manchester and, inevitably, in magistrates’ courts.