Met Police apologise for 'hugely regrettable' actions and 'poor choice of words' by officer who threatened to arrest charity chief for being 'openly Jewish' and 'breaching the peace' near Gaza march

The Metropolitan Police has apologised after an officer made the 'hugely regrettable' decision to describe a charity chief walking beside a pro-Palestinian march as 'openly Jewish' and threatened him with arrest.

Video of the officer speaking to Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) boss Gideon Falter at the side of a pro-Palestine procession on Saturday was shared by the group.

The officer can be heard saying to Mr Falter, who is wearing a kippah: '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.'

In a response to Thursday's video published today, the Met said the officer's choice of words as 'poor' - but appeared to suggest that some counter-protesters at Gaza marches were being deliberately 'provocative and inviting a response'. 

The CAA reacted viciously to the statement, accusing the Met of 'appalling, abject victim blaming'. It is organising what it describes as an organised 'walk' on Saturday April 27, the date of the next pro-Palestine march.

Mr Falter claimed in the video that he 'did what I normally do' on a Saturday: going to synagogue and going for a walk in London. He denied engaging with pro-Palestine protesters, and claimed the Met was creating 'no-go zones' for Jews in the capital.

He was seen telling 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.'

Later on in the video, 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.'

In response to the footage, Met Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist said the video shared by the CAA would 'further dent the confidence of many Jewish Londoners which is the opposite of what any of us want'.

AC Twist continued: 'The use of the term "openly Jewish" by one of our officers is hugely regrettable. It's absolutely not the basis on which we make decisions.

'It was a poor choice of words and while not intended, we know it will have caused offence to many. We apologise.'

The top cop went on to accuse counter-protesters of being 'provocative' by appearing on pro-Palestine march routes in order to express their differing views. He did not refer to the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

He continued: 'The fact that those who do this often film themselves while doing so suggests they must know that their presence is provocative, that they're inviting a response and that they're increasing the likelihood of an altercation.

'They're also making it much more likely officers will intervene. They (officers) don't do so to stifle free speech or to limit the right to protest, but to keep opposing groups apart, to prevent disorder and to keep the public - including all those taking part in or opposing the protest - safe.'

AC Twist concluded: 'It is up to us to review these interventions and to determine whether we are getting the balance right, adapting our approach as we do so.' 

But the CAA blasted the Met's response, labelling it in a statement on X, formerly Twitter as 'appalling, abject victim blaming' that it 'absolutely reject(ed)'. It called for the statement to be withdrawn.

It said: 'Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has sent Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist to blame us for putting a "dent in the confidence of many Jewish Londoners" by releasing the video and claiming that the presence of Jews crossing the route of the march was "provocative".

'What puts a "dent" in Jewish Londoners' confidence in the Met is the Met's own decision to curtail the rights of Jews in order to appease lawless mobs.

'What is "provocative" is telling a Jewish Londoner that his presence will "antagonise" crowds and that unless he leaves he will be arrested.

'It is the right of every Londoner, Jewish or not, to walk freely around the city. 

'If police threaten Jews with arrest for doing so or consider the mere presence of Jews to be "provocative", then the Met has decided wholesale to curtail the rights of Jews in order to appease lawless mobs.

'We must not be intimidated by protesters or prevented by police from exercising our rights.'

In a video interview published alongside the footage, Mr Falter accused the Met of creating 'no-go zones' for Jewish Londoners due to its rigorous enforcement of pro-Palestine marches, which he described as being 'anti-Israel'.

He said: 'Despite being told repeatedly that London is safe for Jews when these marches are taking place, my interactions with police officers last Saturday show that the Met believes that being openly Jewish will antagonise the anti-Israel marchers and that Jews need protection, which the police cannot guarantee.

'Instead of addressing that threat of antisemitic violence, the Met's policy instead seems to be that law-abiding Jewish Londoners should not be in the parts of London where these marches are taking place. 

'In other words, that they are no-go zones for Jews.'

Nine people were arrested following last Saturday's pro-Palestine march through central London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

One man was arrested for a public order offence after making cut-throat gestures towards protesters at a significantly smaller pro-Israel counter-demonstration at Aldwych, the Metropolitan Police said.

Nearly 1,000 officers to police the events, which also included a demonstration held at the Cenotaph by right-wing group Turning Point UK. 

Israel's ongoing war with Hamas has threatened to explode across the Middle East.

Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles on Israel last week after a deadly strike on its Damascus consulate, the blame for which was put on Tel Aviv. 

Israel has responded with further strikes today against Isfahan, home to Iranian nuclear facilities, though no serious damage is thought to have been dealt in the strikes. 

To date, 34,012 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began air and ground offensives in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

The war with Hamas began following the October 6 attacks that saw terrorists enter Israel and indiscriminately slaughter 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Israel has been accused of perpetrating genocide through its offensives in Gaza in the International Criminal Court by South Africa.

Meanwhile, international observers have continued to urge Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to enable the safe delivery of aid to the 1.7million displaced Palestinians across the occupied territory.