Angry Jewish leaders urge Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley to quit, saying they have lost faith in police after officer threatened to arrest 'openly Jewish man' at pro-Palestinian rally

Angry Jewish leaders last night told Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley to quit, saying they had lost faith in the police.

The embattled Metropolitan Police Commissioner will this week be hauled before Home Secretary James Cleverly and policing minister Chris Philp, who are said to be deeply concerned after an officer threatened to arrest an 'openly Jewish' man near a pro-Palestinian rally.

Downing Street said Rishi Sunak was 'appalled' by the footage. He wants an explanation for the conduct and assurances that it will not be repeated.

The Prime Minister is not pushing for Sir Mark to be sacked, and neither is London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said the commissioner enjoyed his confidence, despite calling him in for an 'urgent' meeting today.

But Jewish groups said they had no confidence in the Met to keep them safe and were asking how many more pro-Palestinian protests they have to endure over the conflict in Gaza. They say the marches have turned areas of London into 'no-go zones' at weekends and sparked a record increase in anti-Semitism and hate crime.

A Whitehall source said there was an 'ongoing dialogue' between ministers and the Met about the policing of marches in the capital, including over whether they should be allowed to continue on such a regular basis. 'The Met has a lot of powers, including the ability to ban marches where there is a threat to public order,' the source said. 'We want to make sure they are using those powers appropriately.

'But there are also questions for Sadiq Khan. He is responsible for holding the Met to account and ensuring London's streets are safe for everyone – what is he doing to deal with this incident?'

Sir Mark is also due to meet Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, over a 'grievous loss of confidence' in the Met, with the latest complaint sparked by last week's interaction with Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Mr Falter, who was walking home from a synagogue when he came across a march, was warned that he risked 'antagonising' the situation.

'You are quite openly Jewish... I am worried about the reaction to your presence,' an officer told him. Ms van der Zyl said: 'The Metropolitan Police has made a series of high-profile errors in their responses to these demonstrations. The entirely avoidable mistakes have had a devastating effect on the previously high level of trust held by the UK's Jewish community in the police.'

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, said: 'I think Mark Rowley should go. He has lost the confidence of a large part of the Jewish community.'

The Community Security Trust, a charity that protects British Jews from anti-Semitism, wants the law tightened to halt the protests, saying: 'The broader question this incident raises is how much longer these costly and disruptive protests will be allowed to continue at times and places that impact not just Jewish people, but everyone.

'It feels like any balance between the right to protest and the rights of everyone else has been completely lost, with extremists the only one to benefit.'

Rank-and-file officers last night joined the calls for more robust policing of pro-Palestine demonstrations. Police Federation chairman Rick Prior told The Daily Telegraph: 'A more robust policing of these protests would be beneficial. We need to make a commitment to the Jewish community to root out anti-Semitism on these marches.'

A Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesman added: 'Sir Mark Rowley is a man scrambling to save his job.

'The time for meetings has passed. We need a new commissioner who understands that the job of the police is to arrest criminals, not their targets.'

Former home secretary Suella Braverman also demanded that Sir Mark resign, telling The Sunday Telegraph that people who are 'flagrantly anti-Semitic' were being 'waved on by the police'. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden suggested that Scotland Yard had been 'disrespecting' Jews.

But last night Sir Mark's job appeared safe as a spokesman for Mr Khan said: 'The Met must have the confidence of the communities they serve and it is right that they have apologised for the way the incident was handled and their original public response.'

The Met Police said: 'We remain focused on doing everything possible to ensure Jewish Londoners feel safe in this city.'

The Home Office said: 'We welcome the Met Police's apology, and recognise the complexities of policing fast-moving public protests, but simply being Jewish – or of any other race or religion – should never be seen as provocative.'