Anti-semitism campaigner threatened with arrest for being 'openly Jewish' ... trends now
An anti-semitism campaigner who was threatened with arrest for being 'openly Jewish' at a pro-Palestine march has cancelled a protest walk over safety fears.
Gideon Falter, head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), today cancelled the Walk Together initiative, where 'thousands' of protesters were set to head to a pro-Palestine march on Saturday.
He said: 'The Met Police has told us of its desire to protect Jews walking in the area, but we have to be sure that they can.
'Thousands of people have been intending to join and then walk where they please – things we used to take for granted in London as Jewish people – but we do not have confidence that they would be safe.
'We have received numerous threats and our monitoring has identified hostile actors who seem to have intended to come to any meeting locations that we announced. The risk to the safety of those who wished to walk openly as Jews in London tomorrow as part of this initiative has therefore become too great.'
Anti-semitism campaigner Gideon Falter, who was threatened with arrest for being 'openly Jewish' at a pro-Palestine march, has cancelled a protest walk over safety fears
Mr Falter has led calls for the resignation of Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (pictured) after an officer said his being 'openly Jewish' was a 'breach of the peace'
Gideon Falter (pictured), head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), today cancelled the Walk Together initiative, where 'thousands' of protesters were set to head to a pro-Palestine march on Saturday
Mr Falter last week called on supporters to join him for a walk on Saturday, April 27, at the same time as a pro-Palestine march through central London.
In a letter to Met Police Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain last Friday, April 19, the CAA chief wrote: 'I am not planning a protest on 27th April. I am going for a walk as a private individual. I have not yet decided where I will walk, however it is likely that whilst walking I will be quite openly Jewish. Others might decide to join me. They might not. That is a matter for them. They might also be quite openly Jewish. They might not. That is also a matter for them.'
Mr Falter has led calls for the resignation of Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley after an officer said his being 'openly Jewish' was a 'breach of the peace' and other criticisms of how pro-Palestine marches are policed.
Britain's top police officer this week had crisis meetings with two politicians that can sack him - Home Secretary James Cleverly and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
He said last night that the sergeant at the centre of the row had assessed there was a 'risk of confrontation' due to Mr Falter's presence.
He told the Guardian: 'The sergeant at the scene clearly assessed that there was a risk of confrontation and was trying to help Mr Falter find a different route.
'I completely understand why the sergeant made this assessment. A couple of turns of phrase were clumsy and offensive… and we’ve apologised for that.
'The wider actions and intent of the officer were professional and in the best tradition of British police trying to prevent disorder.'
Sir Rowley added: 'The public would be horrified if we said: well, it’s obvious if those two groups come together, there’s going to be a massive fight. We’ll stand back and wait till it happens and we’ll pick up the pieces afterwards.'
Rishi Sunak this week piled pressure on Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, saying the force must rebuild the trust of the Jewish community
In his statement today, Mr Falter added: 'There are Jewish communities whose Rabbis have given dispensation to their congregants to walk for hours on Shabbat in order to come to central London, such is the depth of feeling among British Jews about the weekly marches, the record breaking levels of anti-semitism and the repeated police failures.
'Tomorrow's march by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign meanders for two-and-half miles from Parliament
