To think that London, or anywhere else for that matter, does not belong to any one demographic

Was there any indication that he was going to disrupt the march and cause trouble or merely stand there and watch it pass by?

Surely the police cannot arrest someone because they think that person might provoke trouble because of the way they look, can they?

Exactly, Maddyone. It’s not up the Jewish man to change, it’s those who would endanger him who need to change their attitude and it’s the police who need to change their method of protection to keep him safe.

SueDonim I remember that incident in India very well. It was simply appalling.

I’ve seen on the news tonight that the man has now said he will return every time there is a march because of the way he was treated. Whilst that isn’t the way I would respond, I can see why he has said that, assuming it is true. I assume he now wants to see if he will be treated differently since his situation is now very much in the public domain. I also assume he’ll take someone to film whatever happens as then it can’t be disputed.
Even if the man was there to test the waters so to speak, that he needed to do this shows that there is a problem in the way these marches have been policed. I already knew that from other well publicised incidents, and I’m surprised that the police haven’t learnt from these and changed their methods.

This reminds me of the terrible case in India a number of years ago when two women were raped on a bus, one of whom died, after going to the movies.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31698154

For those who don’t click on links, this is an extract.

The murderers sought to defend their actions with words such as A decent girl won't roam around at nine o'clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy," he said. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes. About 20% of girls are good."
People "had a right to teach them a lesson" he suggested - and he said the woman should have put up with it.
"When being raped, she shouldn't fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they'd have dropped her off after 'doing her', and only hit the boy," he said.

In India a lot of people saw the injustice of this victim-blaming, there were huge demonstrations and eventually the law was changed to reflect this. I’m not sure anything will change in the UK though, given the victim-blaming here on GN of a Jewish person doing nothing illegal.

Rosie51

I was interrupted, am a slow typer but see my points have been largely made.

Not all, it was well worth posting 🙂

Well put Rosie51.

I was interrupted, am a slow typer but see my points have been largely made.

GSM if being openly Jewish was enough of a red flag that the police thought it could provoke violence, isn't that evidence of the antisemitism imbedded in the minds of the marchers?
If an openly Muslim man was in the vicinity of a march against antisemitism, do you really think he would be threatened with arrest for a "breach of the peace"?
I disagree you can be sure of your assertion. He should surely be able to go anywhere at any time without having to remove his kippah? Surely if the marchers weren't antisemitic then a man in a kippah wouldn't provoke them? Do we now pander to antisemites? Imagine if a Muslim woman was told she shouldn't go to certain areas at certain times if she is wearing a hijab because that was provocative.

Oreo

Maybe he was there to show this country that being Jewish in London is considered some sort of crime if Palestinian supporters are nearby.Or that Jews don’t matter. Maybe he was making a point, and so what?

It seems that a Palestinian protest March has freedom of movement in our capital city whereas the rights of one Jewish person to walk in the city must be curtailed in case they cause problems.

Maybe he was there to show this country that being Jewish in London is considered some sort of crime if Palestinian supporters are nearby.Or that Jews don’t matter. Maybe he was making a point, and so what?

Germanshepherdsmum

Something of a last resort when the man refused to stay where he was and refused the officer’s offer to escort him safely when the marchers had passed. He was there to try to provoke trouble, to cause a breach of the peace.

And you know he was intent on provoking trouble how? By being Jewish? He was doing nothing illegal that I have read so why shouldn’t he be going about his business where he wishes? Or do we think Jewish people should be confined to ghettos, for their own safety?

I think it’s distinctly chilling that instead of protecting innocent Jewish people by arresting those who threaten or attack them, the police protect them by telling them to keep away from those would harm them! So they can’t go round London looking openly Jewish!

I can see why. To avoid an angry mob and attacks on the police. It’s still unfair.

Callistemon I doubt very much the police care , we have seen
placards with Hitler face on them, a Jewish woman holding a placard with a swastika on it to be told by police it should be
taken in context, a Jew wearing a kippah is told by a police officer he was being provocative.

Something of a last resort when the man refused to stay where he was and refused the officer’s offer to escort him safely when the marchers had passed. He was there to try to provoke trouble, to cause a breach of the peace.

When somebody clearly identifiable as a Jew can't go to certain areas because that will upset somebody else who might turn to violence, then we have a very big problem.

We do indeed.
And when the person who looks openly Jewish is the one threatened with arrest by the Metropolitan Police that police force is showing how partisan it is, not to mention that officer being anti-semitic.

Germanshepherdsmum

It’s not in the least frightening. The reason why he said it is clear - he was trying to prevent the man being attacked.

So why threaten to arrest him?

I haven't read anyone here who has accepted those words as being OK!

Ah, was the provocative part of him being openly Jewish that he wasn't carrying a placard supporting Palestine?

Do we really believe that the protestors actually knew he's CEO of a group campaigning against anti-semitism? And even if they did is campaigning against anti-semitism any different to campaigning against Islamophobia? He carried no flag, placard etc and wasn't chanting yet he's deemed to be provocative? This dismissal of blatant antisemitism is astounding and very disheartening.

When somebody clearly identifiable as a Jew can't go to certain areas because that will upset somebody else who might turn to violence, then we have a very big problem.

It’s not in the least frightening. The reason why he said it is clear - he was trying to prevent the man being attacked.

Ske17 it’s so frightening that a police officer tells a Jew
‘You are openly Jewish’ . Maureen Lipman has spoken many times of the fears of Jews in this country caused by
antisemites

TerriBull

The Met Police, after much prevarication, said this "Being Jewish is not a provocation" part of a grovelling apology but imo such a loaded statement. Take tbe Jewish out and substitute another demographic. To actually have to issue those stark words in the first place are shocking. Umpteen groups of people are provocative, Just Stop Oil, Unruly football supporters, drunken stags and hens, a few examples, before we even get on to religious firebrands, try telling all of them they're provocative and maybe they should disappear off the streets and then try and gage the various reactions.

"Being Christian and wearing a cross and a clerical collar is not a provocation"
"Being black and wearing Rastafarian dreadlocks is not a provocation"
"Being Muslim and wearing a hijab, or any female Muslim headwear, is not a provocation"
"Being Hindu and wearing a bindi is not a provocation"

Do the police now understand that wearing a kippah is not a provocation?

Its pretty international
www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=09379ecd0b6efd91&sca_upv=1&rls=en&sxsrf=ACQVn0-Xi5S-DuHloEcFtCt3r-mvKQxajg:1713562468336&q=jewish+voices+for+palestine&uds=AMwkrPsg_JvUfmGZWVnIanpSJbfwFcJ3GE345HAujCfJopn6QNXxKNUnLElqY3r3EquxpOkZH0_RPA42vQ4WFbyk-2U3MyaBkJ0lv5T-5RKPomqoPgljuZOLKdJvIMyI62xw91Ioc7hQCl-GMhSlzs2sI3uOjJf1ggm-25kIQgZsZS9tRfHrN9pHzn70g-CctFOpHG0Mk9W4s4VKFwLtKrspWC4T4JavSiPQAsEp9qqYmkWp29WZJyzk9qLYmU63_Jp25QVwjtAX2iCGFbDDVmacyf18c2ZXhVA98t_P26shTM_Az33MiZA&udm=2&prmd=ivnbmtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZ1ebRnc-FAxUNVfEDHad-Dl4QtKgLegQIDRAB&biw=1386&bih=980&dpr=2#vhid=wXq-fl6xMsESdM&vssid=mosaic

To earlier question - openly, its on placards and Facebook.
www.facebook.com/palestinesolidarityuk/videos/we-march-as-a-jewish-bloc-because-we-feel-its-important-our-voices-are-heardat-e/3294927710803954/

If his ‘cause’ was publicising the fact that openly Jewish people can’t go about their normal lives in London on march days, I think he had every right to do that.

I have been hearing for some time that Jewish people are scared to go to central London at these times.

Why should anyone have to hide their Jewishness? Do we want to be like Germany under Hitler? It’s not provocative to wear a kippah.