The head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, is facing calls to resign after a police officer referred to a man as “openly Jewish” and threatened to arrest him near a pro-Palestinian march in London.
Gideon Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, has called for Sir Mark’s resignation, stating that Jewish Londoners cannot have confidence in the Met under his leadership.
He accused the commissioner of “victim blaming” in response to the incident. Mr Falter has already received two apologies from the police after releasing video footage of the exchanges he had with Scotland Yard officers.
Suella Braverman, a former Home Secretary, has also called for Sir Mark to resign following the incident. She criticized what she described as “failure after failure” by the Met over the last six months.
In an article for the Daily Telegraph, she wrote that “after such a litany of failure and a wholesale refusal to change, the Met Commissioner needs to accept responsibility and he must go.”
She further added that she has witnessed fear and favouritism in the policing of pro-Palestinian protests.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Lord Walney, the government’s adviser on political violence, were highly critical of the Met but did not explicitly call for Sir Mark’s resignation.
Mr Dowden stated that the force had been “disrespecting” Jews, while Lord Walney accused the Met of displaying “institutional antisemitism.”
In the video footage, an officer can be seen preventing Mr Falter from crossing the road and telling him, “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.”
Mr Falter, who was wearing a yarmulke and had just attended synagogue, was then threatened with arrest if he did not leave the area. He described the incident as disgraceful and expressed his disbelief that the police would perceive a Jewish person walking down the street as a threat.
Mr Falter called for Sir Mark’s resignation, stating that the incident and the subsequent statements blaming him for the situation demonstrated a failure of leadership. He argued that the Met had failed to take control of the crowds and make London safe for law-abiding citizens.
Sir Mark responded to the calls for his resignation by stating that every member of the Met is determined to ensure that London is a city in which everyone feels safe.
He acknowledged that the actions of the police may have increased concerns among Jewish and Muslim Londoners since the terrorist attacks on Israel. He reiterated the Met’s apology and assured that officers would continue to police with courage, empathy, and impartiality.
Home Secretary James Cleverly and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have both stated that the police were right to apologize for the incident. Policing Minister Chris Philp has also expressed his intention to meet with Sir Mark.
A spokesperson for the Home Office emphasized that simply being Jewish, or of any other race or religion, should never be seen as provocative. They stated that anyone of any religion should be free to go about their lives and feel safe doing so.
In the first apology, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist suggested that Mr Falter’s presence could be provocative, but in a second statement, the Met retracted that view.
The Met acknowledged that the use of the term “openly Jewish” by one of their officers was regrettable and caused offence. They removed the statement and apologized, affirming that being Jewish is not a provocation and that Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in the city.
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