A Jewish man wearing a kippah skull-cap was subjected to treatment by police that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called “appalling”. Gideon Falter, who is the boss of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), was stopped by police at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on 13 April. At the protest, Falter was threatened with arrest and told by police his presence was causing a “breach of peace”. The Metropolitan Police Service has issued two apologies over the incident, including one from Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist. According to Falter, the Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has been “curtailing the rights of law-abiding Londoners, including the Jewish community, to appease lawless mobs”.
Downing Street confirmed that Johnson had viewed footage of the incident and was “appalled by the officer calling Mr Falter ‘openly Jewish'”. However, some observers, such as former chief superintendent in the Met Police, Dal Babu, argue that a 13-minute clip provided by Sky News shows “a totally different encounter to the one that Mr Falter has reported”. The video shows Falter telling the police officer he wanted to cross the road while the officer told Falter he “disingenuously” walked “right into the middle” of the march and was “looking to try and antagonise things”. Despite the controversy, other politicians, including Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have argued that Sir Mark Rowley should not resign over the incident.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is due to meet with Sir Mark Rowley over what it sees as “entirely avoidable mistakes” in policing the protest. Even before this particular incident, the Met had been criticised for its handling of a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations since last October, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel. Amid conflict that left over 1,200 dead and 250 taken hostage, the Met has now issued two apologies for the treatment of Falter, who has demanded Sir Mark Rowley resign. It remains to be seen whether ongoing protests against police handling of the situation will affect future demonstrations and other public events
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