UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has welcomed additional safety and monitoring measures announced by Nottingham City Council ahead of the planned “SumudFest 2026” event in Nottingham this weekend. This follows representations from both local Jewish community representative, Michael Samson, and UKLFI.

The Council confirmed the measures in a letter sent on 8 May 2026 in response to concerns raised about the event, which is due to take place at Forest Recreation Ground on Saturday 9 May.

Michael Samson, a representative of Nottingham Hebrew Congregation at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, had written to the Council on 29 April objecting to the proposed event, organised by Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

In his letter, Samson expressed concern that the event was taking place close to the local Orthodox synagogue and within an area where many Jewish residents live. He warned that the explicitly political nature of the event would leave members of the Jewish community “deeply uncomfortable and excluded in their own community”, particularly at a time of rising antisemitic incidents nationally.

The letter from Mr Samson was ignored so on 7 May, UKLFI sent an urgent legal letter to Nottingham City Council urging it to reconsider permission for the event and warning about risks to community cohesion and Jewish residents’ safety.

The UKLFI letter highlighted inflammatory social media material published by Nottingham PSC and argued that events linked to Palestine Solidarity Campaign activism have contributed to a climate of hostility towards Jews. The letter also referred to the Council’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and its own Event Booking and Venue Hire Policy.

Although the Council ultimately decided not to refuse permission for the event, it acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns raised and stated that additional safeguards would now be implemented.

According to the Council’s response, these measures include:

• enhanced liaison with organisers regarding conduct and compliance with laws relating to hate speech;
• close coordination with Nottinghamshire Police and other partners;
• deployment of Community Protection Officers in the area; and
• active monitoring of the event, with action to be taken if problems arise.

The Council stated that it had considered the matter under its Event Booking Policy, Equality Act duties, Prevent obligations and community cohesion responsibilities. It said it had concluded there was insufficient evidence to refuse permission for the event under existing legal thresholds.

UKLFI said that while it remained concerned about the impact of such events on the Jewish community, it welcomed the Council’s decision to introduce additional oversight and protections.

A spokesperson for UKLFI commented:

“We are pleased that Nottingham City Council has recognised the seriousness of the concerns raised by the local Jewish community and has agreed to implement additional safety and monitoring measures. Public authorities have an obligation to ensure that all communities feel safe and protected, particularly at a time of unprecedented levels of antisemitism.  We hope the Council will remain vigilant and take swift action if any unlawful hate speech or intimidation occurs during the event.”