Paris and London have chosen different ways to address the anti-Israel protests scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7, the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack against Israel that claimed about 1,200 lives and took another 251 hostages.

Citing a security risk, Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure announced Tuesday a ban on an anti-Israel protest scheduled for that day, explaining that the commemorations of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack along with anti-Israel demonstrations will create tensions during a time when antisemitism is rising to historic levels.

The official social media account of the Préfet de Police posted a statement regarding the ban on X.

“At the request of the Minister of the Interior, Nunez Laurent, I have issued an order prohibiting a demonstration ‘against the genocide in Gaza and for respect of the ceasefire’ in Paris on Wednesday, October 7, 2026,” Faure wrote. “This date marks the third anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel and will give rise to numerous commemorations. In a context of heightened terrorist threat and while antisemitic acts remain at a historically high level in our country, such a demonstration on that day poses significant risks of disturbances to public order.”

“In the face of this, in particular, and in view of all the risks identified, my responsibility is to ensure the safety of all. I have therefore decided to prohibit this demonstration,” he added.

London is taking a different tack, allowing a planned Oct. 7 anti-Israel protest to proceed but imposing restrictions, such as banning masks. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police defended its decision to allow the protest to go forward, saying that it did not meet the high threshold for extreme public disturbances to be banned.

“We have imposed robust conditions on a student march due to take place on Wednesday, 7 October in central London to prevent serious disruption to communities,” the police said in a statement, adding that it understands the concerns of the Jewish community.

“The event is being held on the third anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the start of the ensuing conflict in Gaza. This will be a day of mourning and reflection for many in London. We know how concerned Jewish communities are at the timing of this event,” the police said.

“The stringent conditions will help us manage this event and minimise disruption. Anyone who breaches the conditions or commits offences faces arrest,” it assured the Jewish community.

Explaining why it couldn’t ban the protest, the police added, “We hear the calls for this event to be banned — police cannot ban protests and can only ask the Home Secretary to do so if the risk of serious disorder is so high that it can’t be managed by conditions. That high bar is not met here.”