Met Police apologise for 'hugely regrettable' actions and 'poor choice of ... trends now
The Metropolitan Police has apologised after an officer made the 'hugely regrettable' decision to describe a charity chief walking beside a pro-Palestinian march as 'openly Jewish' and threatened him with arrest.
Video of the officer speaking to Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) boss Gideon Falter at the side of a pro-Palestine procession on Saturday was shared by the group.
The officer can be heard saying to Mr Falter, who is wearing a kippah: 'You are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything but I am worried about the reaction to your presence.'
In a response to Thursday's video published today, the Met said the officer's choice of words as 'poor' - but appeared to suggest that some counter-protesters at Gaza marches were being deliberately 'provocative and inviting a response'.
The CAA reacted viciously to the statement, accusing the Met of 'appalling, abject victim blaming'. It is organising what it describes as an organised 'walk' on Saturday April 27, the date of the next pro-Palestine march.
The officer was seen blocking Campaign Against Antisemitism boss Gideon Falter from crossing the road
Mr Falter was interviewed alongside the footage and accused the Met of failing to make London safe for Jews
Another clip from the protest was also shared of a second officer telling the Jewish man: 'I am trying to make sure you are safe and that no one attacks you or your group or anyone else, that's all.'
Mr Falter, pictured here on Good Morning Britain in 2018, is the CEO of Campaign Against Antisemitism
Mr Falter claimed in the video that he 'did what I normally do' on a Saturday: going to synagogue and going for a walk in London. He denied engaging with pro-Palestine protesters, and claimed the Met was creating 'no-go zones' for Jews in the capital.
He was seen telling the officer: 'I don't want to stay here, I want to leave.'
The officer then replies: 'In that case sir, when the crowd is gone I will happily escort you out.'
Later on in the video, another officer says: 'There's a unit of people here now. You will be escorted out of this area so you can go about your business, go where you want freely or if you choose to remain here because you are causing a breach of peace, with all these other people, you will be arrested.'
He clarifies: 'Your presence here is antagonising a large group of people that we can't deal with all of them if they attack you... because your presence is antagonising them.'
In response to the footage, Met Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist said the video shared by the CAA would 'further dent the confidence of many Jewish Londoners which is the opposite of what any of us want'.
AC Twist continued: 'The use of the term "openly Jewish" by one of our officers is hugely regrettable. It's absolutely not the basis on which we make decisions.
'It was a poor choice of words and while not intended, we know it will have caused offence to many. We apologise.'
The top cop went on to accuse counter-protesters of being 'provocative' by appearing on pro-Palestine march routes in order to express their differing views. He did not refer to the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
He continued: 'The fact that those who do this often film themselves while doing so suggests they must know that their presence is provocative, that they're inviting a response and that they're increasing the likelihood of an altercation.
'They're also making it much
