British Arabs and Palestinians Urge Starmer to Guarantee Protection During Nakba Commemorations in London
Amid growing concern over far-right threats in Britain, prominent figures from the Palestinian and wider British Arab communities have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling for what they describe as “equal protection” during events marking the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba in London on 16 May 2026.
The letter, signed by a number of community leaders and professional figures, warns of what it describes as a “growing sense of fear and anxiety” among British Arabs and Palestinians, amid what signatories view as a lack of equal attention to the safety and security of their communities.
The signatories argue that while other communities have received visible governmental reassurance and security responses, concerns raised by Arab and Palestinian Britons ahead of the Nakba commemorations have been met with “silence and neglect”.
“The Nakba is not a distant memory”
The letter stresses that, for Palestinian Britons, the Nakba is “not simply a chapter in a history book, but an ongoing and living wound”.
Organisers say the upcoming commemorations will include elderly survivors of the 1948 displacement alongside their children and grandchildren, creating what the letter describes as “a memory carried across generations”.
It adds that many participants now fear potential attacks from far-right groups on the streets of London, arguing that treating Nakba commemorations solely as a security issue — rather than a legitimate act of remembrance and mourning — deepens feelings of marginalisation within Palestinian and Arab communities.
The letter also rejects portrayals of Palestine-related marches as spaces of hatred, emphasising that demonstrations in London regularly include Jewish groups and activists expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
According to the signatories, the central message of these events remains focused on “justice, ending genocide and lifting the siege”.
Demands addressed to the British government
The letter sets out three primary demands:
- Equal protection and reassurance for British Arabs and Palestinians
- A clear security plan to protect Nakba events from far-right threats
- Official recognition of the Nakba as part of the collective memory and grief of a section of British society
“This is not a request for special treatment”
Adnan Hmidan, head of Al-Arab in UK and one of the signatories, said the initiative was not about seeking privilege but about demanding “the basic right to safety and equality”.
“This is not a request for special treatment, nor an attempt to place one community against another,” Hmidan said.
“It is a straightforward and legitimate demand that Arabs and Palestinians in Britain receive the same level of protection and reassurance that any community in this country should expect.”
Hmidan added that the 78th Nakba commemoration was not intended to “create tension or fear”, but to preserve “a deeply human memory whose consequences are still carried by entire generations”.
He argued that growing concerns over hate speech and far-right threats placed a “clear legal and moral responsibility” on the British government.
“We believe in Britain as a country of law and institutions,” he said. “That is why we ask it to demonstrate in practice that justice is not selective, and that the right to peaceful protest and collective remembrance does not become a security burden only when Palestinians are involved.”
He concluded by saying that protection should be based on equal citizenship rather than “political selectivity”, expressing hope that London would remain “a city large enough to protect everyone’s right to express their history, grief and dignity without fear”.
“The rule of law cannot be selective”
Sabah Al-Mukhtar, president of the Arab Lawyers Association and another signatory to the letter, said it reflected “a genuine and growing concern” among many Arabs and Palestinians in Britain.
“The rule of law is founded on equality in protection — not varying levels of protection shaped by political pressure or media calculations,” he said.
Al-Mukhtar described Nakba commemorations as “not merely a passing political activity”, but “a human and moral right to remember and express collective pain”, particularly given the participation of survivors still living with memories of displacement dating back to 1948.
Referring to growing far-right threats, he called on British authorities to respond seriously to any threats targeting participants and demanded “clear and transparent measures” to guarantee their safety without stigmatising peaceful events or reducing them to narrow security concerns.
“What is needed today is not general statements, but tangible actions capable of restoring confidence in equality before the law,” he said.
“The protection of Arabs and Palestinians in Britain is not a privilege to be requested. It is a fundamental right that cannot be delayed or negotiated away.”
A wider debate over protest and expression
The letter comes amid intensifying debate in Britain surrounding hate speech, pro-Palestine protests and the Israeli assault on Gaza, alongside growing political and media arguments over the limits of free expression and the policing of demonstrations.
As thousands prepare to gather in London for Nakba commemorations next weekend, the message appears aimed not only at securing reassurance for Palestinian and Arab communities, but also at reopening a wider national conversation over whether protest rights and security protections are being applied equally across British society.
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