A number of Gaza protesters slipped past, however, and were able to rally directly in front of St John’s Wood synagogue.
Chants of "Baby killers", “Zio, Zios stay at home,” and “Israel is a terrorist state” were among the slogans heard in the vicinity of the shul.
Stop the Hate condemned the police response and said in a statement: "Once again, Jewish community activists were left to pressure the police to enforce their own rules.”
A member of Stop the Hate present at the Tube station said: "The pro-Palestine protesters have got no respect for our holy places.
The activist, Jamie, added: "We cannot rely on the police to protect us because they don't. I would go as far as to say to make their lives easier they would rather arrest us than to keep them from rioting – than to do their job.
"We can't rely on the police so we are going to do [their job] for them."
Campaign Against Antisemitism, whose Chief Executive, Gideon Falter, attended the protest, slammed the “total failure of policing policy”.
CAA added: “Not only have police chiefs abysmally failed to combat antisemitism over the past two years and midwifed an explosion of extremism in our country, but they cannot even protect Jewish institutions in Jewish neighbourhoods from the mob."
The JC joined the Stop The Hate activists who had positioned themselves at the exit of St John’s Wood station – located about 400m from the shul – to discourage pro-Palestine protesters from breaking the Section 14 order.
However, some members of the Gaza mob arrived before the 5pm ban and sought to approach the synagogue. A member of Stop The Hate shouted for them to get back into the station and leave but they insisted on trying to get to the synagogue. An altercation erupted and a dozen police officers rushed into the station to break it up.
A Stop The Hate member, Jonny, spoke to the JC moments later: "[Those protesters] are known Palestine activists. I recognise [one of them] as a known trouble maker.
"We have been told that there are conditions and [they] are not allowed to cross. The police just told me I was misinformed."
As Stop The Hate held its line, several residents said as they left the station, "thank you for protecting St John's Wood" and "we appreciate what you are doing".
Another member of Stop The Hate who was standing right at the station exit told us: "They came here to intimidate, but they didn't expect to find Jews like us."
Jamie said: "In a lot of their publicity on social media, they haven't even mentioned [the location] is a synagogue. If a lot of their supporters knew it was a synagogue then maybe they wouldn't come.
"It would put people off if they knew they were coming to a synagogue - but they don't even know.
"They are literally dishonest in every single thing they do, and this is just another example. If they weren't dishonest they would have nothing if they had to tell the truth then its game over."
Eventually, after the 5pm ban came into effect, an number of Gaza protesters took up a legal protest location a few roads away from the synagogue.
There, anti-Zionist protesters were waving Palestine flags and shouting: "Baby killers", “Zio, Zios stay at home,” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”
One of the groups that attended the pro-Palestine protest was Jewish Anti-Zionist Action.
One of the organising groups reportedly told protesters to dress “visibly Jewish” but sang in Arabic “from the water to the water”, and shouted “Liberate Judaism from Zionism” in English.
Protesting against Israel, Rabbi Jacob Wise, from the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta group, said: "We are here to demonstrate against this illegal sale of Palestinian lands. It should be banned; it should be illegal here in the UK.
"Rather than arresting Palestine action, we should arrest action against Palestine. Right, so this is a Palestinian land, it's illegal.
"This country recognises Palestinian Palestine and it should be completely illegal, this sale of occupation.
"We stand for peace, for justice, for humanity, for respect. That's what we stand for. We're going to carry on our struggle till Palestine is liberated and we will live in peace together in Palestine like we always used to live before the curse of Zionism came along."
Explaining the reason for the delay in the Section 14 order, the Met said: "We were only made aware of the protests earlier in the day. Officers worked up conditions as soon as possible and these were in place ahead of the advertised start time… Officers explained conditions were in place and the majority moved on without issue. One person was arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions.
“Both groups did initially form up outside the synagogue. Officers explained conditions were in place and the majority moved on without issue."
Stop the Hate said in a statement: “We welcomed the Police’s decision to impose conditions on yesterday’s protest. However, the value of such measures depends entirely on whether they are enforced.
"Following the decisive action taken in Tower Hamlets last month to prevent Ukip from marching, we expected a similarly robust response. Instead, we witnessed yet another failure of policing that has unfortunately become familiar over the last two years. This reflects an apparent inability or unwillingness to confront anti Jewish hate with the seriousness it requires. This failure has contributed to a culture of impunity in which activists feel emboldened to target synagogues.
“Despite more than a week’s advance notice, the police had insufficient resources outside the synagogue to keep demonstrators away from the vicinity. This raises serious concerns about the adequacy of the policing plan, particularly just two months after two worshippers were murdered outside a synagogue in Heaton Park.
"As a result, officers effectively allowed the very scenario they had sought to prevent. Demonstrators were able to gather directly outside the synagogue in breach of the imposed conditions.
"Once again, Jewish community activists were left to pressure the police to enforce their own rules.”
Saul Taylor, the president of the United Synagogue said of the scenes outside St John's Wood Shul: "It cannot be that in modern Britain it is seen as acceptable to protest outside a place of worship where Jews come together to pray and to attend community events.
"I commend the police for their swift action in putting in place and implementing the exclusion zone and thank the CST as ever for their support...
"I call on those demonstrating to think again about the appropriateness of targeting our buildings and Jews who simply want to attend a synagogue and Jewish community centre."
Gaza protesters in the vicinity of the shul (Image: YouTube)[Missing Credit]
Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society Alan Mendoza said: "Hate comes to St John’s Wood. Having been forced away from protesting directly outside a local synagogue, anti-Israel haters are now spewing their rubbish on a residential street. The state of Britain today."
Phil Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies, called the situation "absolutely unacceptable".
He said: "There is a space for protest, but the boundaries have been continually pushed. It is time to ensure a better balance between freedom of speech and civic responsibility. That includes not protesting outside sacred places of worship.
"The government is in the process of changing the law to protect synagogues and other places of worship from this sort of hateful action, but we expect the police to be mindful of this today.
"These incidents are a reminder that we face a fight for the soul of our nation. Our Jewish community is raising the alarm, but it will need every part of this country to wake up if we are to preserve and advance the cohesive and confident Britain we all love."
Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The targeting of a synagogue by pro-Palestine activists - who protested outside a North London shul and projected offensive language onto the building – demonstrates the total failure of policing policy.
“These extremists were doubtless emboldened by events across the pond, where a New York City synagogue was also targeted with the blessing of the Mayor-elect.”
