HOME Secretary Shabana Mahmood approved a request today from the Metropolitan Police to ban a march “to prevent serious public disorder.”

The annual Al Quds Day march in London, named after the Arabic name for Jerusalem, had drawn criticism over apparent backing for the Iranian regime after its organisers expressed support for the country’s late leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Several counter-protests are also planned for the day.

Announcing her decision, Ms Mahmood said she was “satisfied doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), which organises the protest, said it “strongly condemns” the decision and was seeking legal advice.

It confirmed that a “static protest” will go ahead on Sunday.

Stop the War Coalition called the ban a disgrace, warning that the implications for the right to peaceful protest are “extremely serious.”

It said: “It is not necessary to agree with all the politics of Al-Quds Day to know that this is an attack on Palestine and the anti-war movement.

“We note that the Met allowed Ukip to march with banners calling for ‘mass deportations’ of Muslim ‘invaders.’

“And last September, supporters of Tommy Robinson violently assaulted anti-racists and the police, but he is being allowed to organise another march in May.

“Coming as it does in the middle of the criminal trial of two leaders of the Palestine movement, it’s impossible not to see this ban as part of a mounting campaign against those who stand against war and for a free Palestine.”

Speaking on Politics Live today, Your Party’s parliamentary leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “I feel very worried whenever I hear about public demonstrations and marches being banned because it is a restriction on our freedom of speech. This country would very quickly condemn any other country that started banning public protest, even in Iran or elsewhere.”