Since Hamas’ pogrom on 7 October 2023, we have had much confirmation of what we knew already: that the Metropolitan Police operate a two-tier policing policy. Certain types of protestors such as genocidal jihadis are given carte balance to commit public disorder acts whereas others, such as peaceful women holding a candle-lit vigil for the murder victim Sarah Everard, are roughly handled. Yet the Metropolitan police, like all other police forces, take an oath in which they state the following: that they will serve ‘with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people.’ Some of them clearly have forgotten they took this oath.
The latest sickening example, and no doubt not the last, of Metropolitan police officers failing to accord respect to all people comes from a group of officers’ treatment of Gideon Falter, CEO of Campaign Against Antisemitism. Two Saturdays ago, as usual, there was a pro-Palestinian march in London. Falter was in the protestors’ vicinity and as he was wearing a kippah and carrying a small bag with a Star of David on it, was clearly Jewish in appearance. Consequently, he was threatened with arrest because his mere presence would ‘antagonise’ the protestors and he would be in breach of the peace.
If you think I am kidding, the incident was recorded and posted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism on their X feed. If you have not seen it, click on the link and be shocked-or not:
Clearly, Mr Falter was simply going peaceably about his business: he had attended the synagogue that morning and was enjoying a stroll with friends. He was not at the march to counter-demonstrate, but so what if he had been? Counter-demonstrations are legal in this country (though clearly not if you are visibly Jewish according to these asinine police officers), and it would then have been the police’s role to keep the two groups apart and arrest anyone who did breach the peace, whichever side the offender was on.
But that is not how these police officers read the situation. In the video, an officer can be heard saying: ‘You are quite openly Jewish’ and ‘This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything, but I am worried about the reaction to your presence’. Falter is then surrounded by police officers and told he cannot leave. When he declares he merely wishes to cross the road, an officer replies, ‘In that case sir, when the crowd is gone, I will happily escort you out.’ A different officer then informs Falter he has a choice: either be escorted away or be arrested for being an antagonising presence. Some protestors do notice Falter and call him ‘scum’ and a ‘Nazi’.
There are many things that are egregious about this incident. Here are three:
First, these police officers are admitting that the pro-Gaza demonstrators have Jew haters in their midst. If that were not the case, Falter’s presence would not have been a problem. Yet, week after week the Met have assured us that these demonstrations are peaceful. When Suella Braverman said accurately that these marches were ‘hate marches’, Met commissioner Mark Rowley seemed completely confounded by her assertion. How disingenuous.
Second, there is the officer’s concern that Falter is ‘visibly Jewish’. Since when has religious freedom of expression been cancelled for Jews? Sikh men wear turbans, Muslim women wear veils and vicars wear dog collars. How insulting and unnerving it must have been to Falter and all Jews in Britain to have what is sacred to their faith-the kippah and the Star of David-treated as a public order problem.
Thirdly, Falter is threatened with arrest whilst being verbally abused for being Jewish. Why do the police, instead of intimidating an innocent man, not arrest these racists?
What lurks behind these police officers’ behaviour is their fear of being seen to be Islamophobic and of provoking genocidal jihadis to rioting and terrorism. That is a clear abrogation of the principle that underlies British policing which is to uphold the law without fear or favour. If any kind of religious extremist breaks the law, arrest him or her like any other criminal and if any religious person wishes to walk his or her city’s streets wearing sacred insignia, then s/he deserves the law’s protection like any other citizen.
The question now is: can the Met Police’s appeasement of the mob get any worse? Without an end to their political correctness, the answer is very probably yes!
Peter Harris is the author of two books, The Rage Against the Light: Why Christopher Hitchens Was Wrong (2019) and Do You Believe It? A Guide to a Reasonable Christian Faith (2020).
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The government, if we have such a thing, seem impotent and unable or unwilling to step in and take control
Gideon Falter was responsible for Tommy Robinson being arrested and subsequently banned from London a few weeks ago. I have no sympathy although plod were clearly way out of order.
The Police action is not acceptable in a free society. I and anyone else, should be free to walk wherever the hell I, or they, want to, no matter what their ‘ethnicity’ and without ‘let or hindrance’ by the police. It says as much on my passport when I am abroad.
So why not when I am at ‘home?’
‘Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.’
I think Mr Bolton doesn’t live on this planet. I also think the police action was acceptable considering the threat he could have been under. Yes you have the right to free speech and should be able to walk anywhere but in the real world this is not the case.
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