‘Police disparities’ called out during pro-Palestinian protests

In a statement released on social media, the Metropolitan Police wrote after Friday’s rallies: “Officers were on duty to keep everyone safe and to respond to any incidents.

“Regrettably, a number of those involved in the counter protest repeatedly refused directions to stay out of the road, and it was therefore necessary to impose a condition under the Public Order Act requiring them to remain in a specific area.

“Three people from within the group were arrested, one for his involvement in a previous incident and two for offences related to the wording on placards.”

Gal Itai, who campaigns with an organisation called Stop The Hate, said that the placards referenced the “pager incidents”.

However, he went on to criticise what he said was disparity in police treatment after a pro-Palestinian demonstrator was arrested on Friday for assaulting a woman for “slapping her phone out of her hand”.

He said that the assailant was “front-cuffed, indicating the police thought he posed no threat, while those arrested from the counter-protest were back-cuffed for holding signs”.

Some of the pro-Israel demonstrators have alleged that there is "two-tier" policing at pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies (Photo: Gaby Wine)[Missing Credit]

In response to the incident, a spokesperson for the Met said: “A man was arrested and given a caution for criminal damage.”

Gal claimed that there were ongoing frustrations within the Jewish community regarding policing, alleging a “two-tier” approach that seemingly protected those “sympathetic to terrorist” groups.

He claimed that the man who was arrested for shouting: “I love the 7thth of October”, “took weeks to be arrested”.

Gal said: “They know to arrest someone for holding a pager sign but remain silent when it comes to praise for Hamas and Hezbollah.”

Marc Cave, director of the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Nottinghamshire, echoed Gal’s concerns, saying: “One incident...was so aggressive. A guy wearing a mask was screaming at the police officer.

“He called them ‘racist police’ and the police were just taking it. The guy said 'f*** you' and the police just responded with: ‘I haven’t mentioned it is to do with racism or skin colour’. The guy was then never arrested for disturbing the police.”

Police at a rally in Swiss Cottage (Photo: Gaby Wine)[Missing Credit]

Cave too criticised what he said was the slow response to antisemitic remarks made by protesters, pointing to an incident where an individual with a placard reading “All Zionists are mothers and baby killers” was only arrested after weeks of complaints.

Looking ahead, Cave called for increased cooperation between British Jews and the police to address these issues more effectively. He emphasised the importance of educating the police force on the link between anti-Zionism to antisemitism.

“We need to do more to empower them and make their jobs more doable. We know from our work with Nottinghamshire police they are keen to understand what’s going on. If not educated, then they will not spot the problem.”

The Met Police declined to comment on allegations of two-tier policing.