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LONDON: Western governments are waging a sustained attack against the right to protest, the International Federation for Human Rights has warned, citing the growing criminalization of pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Governments in the UK, US, France and Germany have “weaponized” domestic counterterrorism legislation and fears of antisemitism to suppress public anger over the Gaza war, the study found, drawing on open-source research, eyewitness testimonies and reports from international organizations.

“This trend reflects a worrying shift towards the normalization of exceptional measures in dealing with dissenting voices,” said Yosra Frawes, head of the Maghreb and Middle East desk at FIDH.

The study, which was conducted between October 2023 and September 2025, highlights concerns over the censorship of elected politicians, violations of media rights, and the silencing of civil society and academic freedom in the four major Western countries, where pro-Palestine protests have regularly been held since the outbreak of the war.

It warns that the “right to protest has come under sustained attack from the British government across administrations and party lines,” and that it has “pushed to legitimize Israel’s genocidal violence” and “continued to justify support for Israel.”

Senior figures in the UK, such as former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, have also pushed a censorious narrative against pro-Palestine demonstrators exercising their free speech by calling weekly rallies “hate marches,” the study said.

When considered with statements made by government figures, the public narrative has stigmatized “support for Palestine and Palestinian resistance movements,” and “worked to discriminate against Muslims and other racialized groups in the UK,” it added.

Despite Labour’s election victory last year, there has been “little” change in government narratives about the war and domestic protest movements, the study found.

The government continues to link criticism of Israel and support for Palestine to “violent antisemitism” and “targeted Muslim and racialized groups.”

Hate crimes against Muslims in the UK have risen by almost one-fifth, recent government data shows.

But according to Tell Mama, an organization that records anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, Islamophobic attacks surged by 73 percent last year.

Despite the variation in protest laws and rights among the four major Western countries, the FIDH report highlighted a broad trend of repression against Palestinian solidarity globally.

Pro-Palestine rallies in the US, France and Germany have been met with blanket bans in some cases, as well as legal action and arrests.

The study calls on the UK government to launch an independent body to monitor policing practices during demonstrations.

It also says section 12 of the UK Terrorism Act, which criminalizes support for outlawed groups, must be overhauled to exclude protected political opinions and broad slogans of solidarity.

“​​Ultimately, the crackdown on solidarity with Palestinians reveals a profound crisis, not only of human rights in the occupied territories but of freedom itself, in societies that claim to be democratic,” it warned.

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Tuesday it welcomed US President Donald Trump’s desire to focus on the search for a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine after achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and hoped he’d be able to push Kyiv toward a settlement.
Addressing the Israeli Knesset a day earlier after brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke of wanting to get a deal done with Iran over its nuclear program, but said he’d turn his attention to trying to end the war in Ukraine first.
“… first we have to get Russia done. We gotta get that one done. If you don’t mind, Steve, let’s focus on Russia first,” Trump said, addressing Steve Witkoff, his special envoy who has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia remained open to peace talks.
“We certainly welcome such intentions and we welcome the confirmation of the political will to do everything possible to promote the search for peaceful solutions,” Peskov said, when asked about Trump’s comments.
“We are already well acquainted with Mr. Witkoff; he is effective, has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work already underway in Ukraine.”
Russia accuses Ukraine of stalling negotiations and of not making good on an idea of setting up working groups to consider potential aspects of a deal. Ukraine accuses Moscow of not being serious about a deal and of putting forward conditions that are tantamount to asking for it to surrender.
“The Russian side remains open and ready for peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills of President Trump’s envoys will help encourage the Ukrainian side to be more active and more willing to engage in the peace process,” Peskov said.
Peskov has said that dialogue with the US around Ukraine has stalled, while Trump has spoken of possibly supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, something Moscow has made clear it would regard as a dangerous escalation.