A Jewish man who was attempting to cross the street during a pro-Palestine march was threatened with arrest by an officer who said that his “presence was antagonising,” prompting criticism of the Metropolitan Police as “beyond appalling.”
The man, who said he was trying to walk around the capital after going to a synagogue, was pulled aside by a police officer who said he was ‘breaching the peace’ because he was ‘quite openly Jewish’.
In a video shared by Campaign Against Antisemitism from Saturday’s march, the man—who was wearing a kippah on his head—tells the officer: ‘I don’t want to stay here; I want to leave.’
The officer then replies: ‘In that case, sir, when the crowd is gone, I will happily escort you out.’
After the defiant man attempts to walk across the road in the Aldwych area, the officer blocks him and says: ‘I don’t want anybody antagonising anybody… and at the moment sir, you are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march.
‘I am not accusing you of anything but I am worried about the reaction to your presence.’
Later on, another officer says: ‘There’s a unit of people here now. You will be escorted out of this area so you can go about your business, go where you want freely or if you choose to remain here because you are causing a breach of peace, with all these other people, you will be arrested.’
He clarifies: ‘Your presence here is antagonising a large group of people that we can’t deal with all of them if they attack you… because your presence is antagonising them.’
The video has sparked another backlash for the Met, which has been accused of failing to make London safe for Jews. Robert Largan, the MP for High Peak, Derbyshire, shared the video and wrote: ‘This is beyond appalling’.
At another protest last month, an officer told a Jewish woman that swastikas ‘need to be taken into context’ when she reported seeing the Nazi logo on posters at a pro-Palestine march.
At the time, Jocelin Weiss, 30, told MailOnline: ‘I think there’s a problem with a lack of basic education for this police force.’
Speaking about the latest incident, the Jewish man said he felt sympathetic towards frontline officers who are put in ‘impossible positions’ every week when they are asked to police huge protests ‘where there are all sorts of criminality on display’.
Another clip from the protest was also shared of a second officer telling the Jewish man: ‘I am trying to make sure you are safe and that no one attacks you, your group or anyone else, that’s all.
The Jewish man, who asks him why there is no one surrounding any of the pro-Palestine protesters, adds: ‘I’d like that too but your sergeant here has told me that because I’m Jewish, it’s antagonistic to the crowd and it’s dangerous for me.’
The officer replies: ‘I’m not saying that.’
But the man interrupts, saying: ‘But he’s just said that. Do you have any idea what it’s like being a Jew in London at the moment?’
When the officer says no, he adds: ‘Let me tell you, this goes on every Saturday, you probably know it, your colleagues know it. You guys are on the front line. The route changes every single week, you never have any idea where it’s going to be.
‘Because you’re Jewish in London, you now have to cross these huge groups of people. It’s intimidating enough and now look at the number of police that are around her… I’m just a Jew in London, trying to cross the road.
‘I’ve been told repeatedly by the Met that these are completely safe for Jews, that I should have nothing to worry about and yet here I find myself in this bubble. This guy has just been shouting at me and shoving me because I want to cross the road.’
Campaign Against Antisemitism also shared shocking footage from the march of protesters shouting ‘scum’ at the Jewish man. Another pro-Palestine protester was heard shouting ‘Nazi’ in front of an officer.
A third protester told the Jewish man: ‘I’m watching your movement. That’s right. We’re all going to watch your movements and record you. The police ain’t gonna help you in this scenario.’
The Jewish man said: ‘After months of being gaslit by the Met, it’s not safe for Jews to be walking in the presence of these protests. And was there anything so crazy about what we were trying to do? Just walking around our home city on a Saturday.’
He added: ‘Is this something that we are willing to accept? That now the police have to keep Jews away. We mustn’t accept it.’
Nine persons were taken into custody by the Met Police on Saturday for violating public order. It happened only hours before Iran launched an unprecedented assault on Israel, sparking concerns that the Middle East conflict may get worse.
Campaign groups have condemned the Met for the spike in anti-Semitism.
A poster of a baby kidnapped by Hamas was defaced with two swastikas in an incident in London at the end of last year, including a swastika drawn on the infant’s forehead.
And in October, the words “SS IDF”—which stands for the Israeli Defence Forces—were painted in red on a synagogue in Sussex. The initials “SS” stand for the Nazis’ homicidal special guard.
The Met has been approached by MailOnline for comment.
Supposedly, our police are there to stop anybody from being attacked, but it seems that they’re only there to protect those who are allowed to operate a separate nation within our nation. Sadiq Khan controls the Met Police, and they do as he asks.
I’m so happy that there are folks out there who have the guts to confront this disaster. This has to be widely publicised, and the individual in question needs to file a formal complaint against the force that establishes these regulations as well as this particular officer. Bravo to the courageous man!
It is a sad reality that a growing number of Jewish people are concealing their Jewish identity, and the Met has become selective and partial when considering people’s human rights and freedoms.
It should not be a crime to be openly Jewish or openly any other religion.
Sadly, far too many of our police officers make poor decisions on a regular basis. This is probably due to their egos getting in the way of serving the people and their lack of intellect and respect.
People fought in a war, and the people at home made huge sacrifices, and then some paid the ultimate price fighting the Nazis, and they would now be turning in their graves.
It seems that the Holocaust taught us nothing!
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