The Met is still trying to contain the outrage from the Jewish community at its officers’ treatment of Gideon Falter, leader of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, nine days ago. Ministers, including the Prime Minister, have made clear their indignation. The Assistant Met Commissioner, Matt Twist, is to meet Mr Falter to apologise. Yet no matter how fulsome the Met’s apology, there is no getting away from the shocking reality that a man could be told that his being “openly Jewish” was a problem. Let us be clear: in London, wearing Jewish dress is not a provocation; being openly Jewish is not a provocation. If there is a mindset within the Met that perceives it as a problem, the mindset needs correcting.
The Met has serious questions to answer about this troubling episode, not least the training given to its personnel in policing pro-Palestinian demonstrations. It may help that it is to consult Jewish groups in its planning for future protests. Of course the police cannot monitor everything that is done and said at a large march, but the Commissioner, Mark Rowley, must prioritise the safety of London’s Jewish community in deciding how they are to be policed in future. Jewish people do not feel safe in London and it is unacceptable that this is the case. The Met must do better than this. Much better.
