BOBBY BLAST
No10 blasts ‘appalling’ arrest threat against ‘openly Jewish’ man at pro-Palestine protest
The Met has withdrawn a statement aimed at people whose presence at protests is 'provocative'
BRITAIN’S top police chief Sir Mark Rowley faces calls to quit after a man was threatened with arrest for being “openly Jewish” at an anti-Israel protest.
Demands for the Met Commissioner to carry the can were led by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
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She said the latest bungling of protest policing allowed people who were flagrantly anti-Semitic to be “waved on by the police”.
No 10 branded the incident “appalling”, but stopped short of calling for Sir Mark to go earlier tonight.
He will meet Home Secretary James Cleverly this week for talks.
Gideon Falter was wearing a kippah skull-cap when he was stopped in the Aldwych area of London last week.
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In a video widely shared online, he was told by police he was causing a breach of the peace.
An officer said: “You’re quite openly Jewish, this is a pro-Palestinian march.”
Mr Falter, who runs the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, had been at synagogue.
The Met later withdrew a statement attacking a “new trend of those opposed to the main protests . . . knowing their presence is provocative”.
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Tonight, the Met said Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist had written to Mr Falter to offer a private meeting, to apologise and for talks.
Prince William is on a mission to tackle anti-Semitism as he meets war heroes working on the ground in Gaza
One in 4 attacked or in fear
ONE in four Londoners say they have been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years, a poll shows.
One in ten know someone who has — or has had — an illegal firearm.
A similar proportion fears gang members with guns or knives. And one in eight say they know someone directly at risk.
Experts say violence in the capital cost taxpayers £7billion last year.
The poll by Survation for the Centre for Social Justice shows two thirds back police stop and search.
The centre’s Nikita Malik said: “They want police more visible and proactive — involved in schools and sports clubs.”