Met Commissioner faces call to resign over protest failure
The Metropolitan Police is facing calls for the resignation of its chief following its handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
The force apologized after an officer is accused of singling out an antisemitism campaigner as “openly Jewish” during a demonstration in London. Gideon Falter, the CEO of Campaign Against Antisemitism, was wearing a kippah when he was stopped and threatened with arrest.
He criticized Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley for failing to control the marches and allowing antisemitic hate crimes to occur.
Policing Minister Chris Philp promised to discuss the matter with Sir Mark, emphasizing that no one should be targeted for their religion. The Board of Deputies of British Jews also demanded a meeting with the commissioner to address the “entirely avoidable mistakes” made by the Met.
Home Secretary James Cleverly and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have expressed concerns and called for action to ensure the safety of all citizens.
Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow justice secretary believes the commissioner’s resignation is not necessary, but emphasizes the importance of maintaining community confidence in policing.
During an interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Claire Coutinho, the MP for East Surrey, characterized the incident as a “serious misstep.”
“We must avoid suggesting that the mere presence of certain groups in society is provocative,” she remarked.
The energy secretary also commended the Met’s apology, stating that it was “right the Met has apologised”.
An initial apology from the Met on Friday was withdrawn after it was criticised as victim-blamingl. The Met issued a second statement saying “being Jewish is not a provocation” and apologised again, saying, “Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in this city.”
‘Openly Jewish’ campaigner warns London is becoming a ‘police-enforced Jew-free zone’ after Met officer threatened him with arrest at Palestine protest: Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley faces calls to quit amid furious row
Met chief likely to survive calls to quit over officer’s ‘openly Jewish’ comment
Suella Braverman leads calls for Met chief Mark Rowley to quit
I was treated like a criminal for being Jewish. The Met chief must go
Fury as Met Police officer is filmed accusing Londoner of being ‘openly Jewish’
Sadiq Khan has ‘confidence’ in Mark Rowley after antisemitic incident
Rishi Sunak says he has confidence in Met Police chief after protest row
