Public order judicial review – George Thomas KC and Cecily White
23rd September 2026
Sweeting J has rejected an application for permission to apply for judicial review of a decision by a senior officer of the Metropolitan Police in 2025 to impose conditions under s14 of the Public Order Act 1986, preventing the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network UK (IJAN-UK) from protesting in the area of Swiss Cottage, North London. The judgment can be found here. In reaching this decision, the officer had expressly and conscientiously followed the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Protest Operational Advice Document.
The judge concluded it was not arguable that the decision had failed properly to recognise the cumulative impact of the disruption upon the local community over a protracted period, or that the evaluative and operational judgments of experienced public order commanders, faced with the difficult task of balancing Convention rights including those of others affected by the protest, were not reasonably open to them.
George Thomas KC and Cecily White acted for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, instructed by Andrew Holt of the Directorate of Legal Services.
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