Met Police putting Muslim concerns above Jewish safety, says damning report

Sir Mark and other senior officers have repeatedly rejected the claim of bias in how different communities are policed and protected.

But the report states: “Despite the denials, it has become increasing evident that ‘two-tier policing’ is a reality.”

It cites as an example the “stringent policing” imposed in Tower Hamlets during protests organised by the far-right United Kingdom Independence Party on October 25.

The Met claimed its approach followed concerns raised by the local community, which has one of the highest percentage of Muslim residents in the UK.

The report said: “The willingness of the police to impose such stringent restrictions to safeguard the local Muslim population, while apparently being unwilling to go similarly far on behalf of the Jewish community or the broader public at previous events, indicates a readiness among senior officers to apply different standards to different groups.

“If the rationale for the force’s decision is because they feared public disorder from those resisting the protest (rather than from the protesters themselves) it is tantamount to an admission that ‘mob rule’ has taken priority over the rule of law.”

In November accusations of two-tier policing surfaced again when a pro-Palestinian protest outside St John’s Wood United Synagogue was allowed by the police.

Protesters appeared to defy an exclusion zone by displaying a banner saying: “Jews say: anti-Zionism ≠ antisemitism”.

Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “They wanted to march up to the synagogue, a place where people come to pray, and they wanted to chant for the State of Israel to be extinguished.”

A Met spokesperson said: “We are aware of claims that we banned the protest in Tower Hamlets but this is not accurate. We imposed conditions just as we did in St John’s Wood.

“Our approach is always proportionate and lawful. We work to balance the right to protest with the need to keep people safe and minimise disruption.”

Met Commander Hayley Sewart added: “Our New Met for London plan is delivering significant improvements on the issues that matter most to our communities and crime is falling across London.

“Despite a £260 million funding gap and amid a shrinking Met, we are protecting neighbourhood policing, response policing and public protection so we can be there where and when the public needs us.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping London safe and he continues to lead the way by being tough on crime with a record £1.16 bn support for the police this year alone and tough on the complex causes of crime through the country’s first Violence Reduction Unit which is leading an approach rooted in prevention and intervention.”