Protests spark fears for Jews

London’s police commissioner will meet with senior members of the Jewish community today after the force bungled its apology for suggesting an “openly Jewish” man’s presence along the route of a proPalestinian march risked provoking the demonstrators.

Amid calls for his resignation, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley is also expected to meet London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary James Cleverly, who together are responsible for law and order in the city.

The meeting comes as London police struggle to manage tensions sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, with some Jewish residents saying they feel threatened by repeated proPalestinian marches through the streets of the UK capital.

The marches have been largely peaceful. However, many demonstrators accuse Israel of genocide and a small number have shown support for Hamas, the group that led the October 7 attack on Israel and which has been banned by the UK government as a terrorist organisation.

In addition to meeting with leaders of the Jewish community, senior police officers wrote to the man at the centre of the latest controversy, offering to meet him to apologise and discuss what more could be done to “ensure Jewish Londoners feel safe”.

Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap when he was stopped by police while trying to cross a street in central London as demonstrators filed past on April 13.

One officer told Falter he was worried that the man’s “quite openly Jewish” appearance could provoke a reaction from the protesters, according to video posted on social media by the campaign group.

Metropolitan Police initially apologised for the language the officer used in describing Falter’s appearance, but said counter-demonstrators had to be aware “that their presence is provocative”.

The department later deleted that apology from its social media accounts and issued a second statement.