THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
On October 7th, 2025, the second anniversary of the horrific Hamas attacks that murdered over 1,200 people, pro-Palestine protesters were allowed to bring London to a standstill. They blocked Tower Bridge. They shut down King’s Cross station, trapping innocent commuters trying to go about their daily lives. And what was the response from our political leaders and police? A handful of arrests. A slap on the wrist. Business as usual.
This is not justice. This is a complete mockery of the law.
The Double Standard Is Undeniable
Let’s be brutally honest about what we all know to be true: there are two sets of rules in this country when it comes to protests. One set for certain groups, and another, far harsher set for everyone else.
When far-right protests erupted in 2024, the response was swift and severe. Mass arrests. Lengthy prison sentences. Politicians queuing up to condemn the violence and disorder. Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan couldn’t move fast enough to demand harsh punishment. And rightly so when violence and destruction occurred.
But when pro-Palestine activists illegally block major transport infrastructure on the most provocative date imaginable? Silence. Inaction. A pathetic handful of arrests that will likely result in nothing more than a warning.
Innocent People Pay the Price
Real people are being hurt by this cowardice. Ordinary Londoners trying to get to work, to hospital appointments, to pick up their children from school. They find themselves trapped, intimidated, unable to go about their lawful business because a mob has decided to block their path.
One such person was caught up in the King’s Cross blockade today. Surrounded by hundreds of protesters, frightened and unable to leave. This is what happens when politicians refuse to enforce the law equally. Innocent people become collateral damage in someone else’s political theatre.
The Law Is Clear
There is no ambiguity here. Blocking roads and railway stations is illegal. It’s not peaceful protest. It’s criminal disruption that prevents others from exercising their own rights and freedoms. The police have the powers to prevent this. They have the powers to make arrests. They simply choose not to use them consistently.
Why? The uncomfortable truth is that our leaders are terrified of being called names. They would rather let London grind to a halt than risk accusations of heavy-handedness against certain groups. This is moral cowardice dressed up as tolerance.
A Deliberate Insult
The timing of today’s protests makes this even more inexcusable. October 7th is seared into the memory of every Jewish person and decent human being who watched in horror as families were slaughtered, children murdered, and innocents dragged into captivity. To choose this specific date to shut down London is not coincidence. It is deliberate provocation.
Yet our leaders rolled over and allowed it to happen. Where was Starmer’s outrage? Where was Khan’s firm hand? Both were conspicuously absent when courage was needed most.
The Real Cost of Two-Tier Policing
This isn’t just about one day’s disruption. Every time the law is applied unequally, every time one group gets away with behaviour that would see others jailed, public trust in our institutions erodes a little further.
People can see with their own eyes what’s happening. They know that if they blocked a major railway station, they’d be arrested, prosecuted, and punished. They know that certain causes get preferential treatment while others face the full force of the law. This breeds resentment, division, and contempt for authority.
What Must Happen
The solution is simple: enforce the law equally, without fear or favour. If blocking transport infrastructure is illegal, then arrest everyone who does it, regardless of their cause. If disrupting the lives of ordinary people is a crime, then prosecute it as such, every single time.
Starmer and Khan have failed in their duty to protect Londoners. They have allowed political calculation to override the rule of law. They have sent a clear message: if you’re part of the right cause, you can do what you like.
This cannot continue. Britain deserves better than leaders who lack the courage to uphold the basic principle that the law applies to everyone equally. Until that changes, expect more chaos, more disruption, and more innocent people trapped and intimidated while our politicians look the other way.
The law is the law. It’s time our leaders remembered that.
References
1.https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-825262
2.https://www.npr.org/2024/04/16/1244990246/pro-palestinian-demonstrators-shut-down-airport-highways-and-bridges
