A Jewish campaign group has “reluctantly” canceled its “Walk Together” rally in central London amid security concerns.
Thousands of people were expected to take part in the march in the capital on Saturday, which would have coincided with pro-Palestine marches.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it had canceled the event, where people would have walked “wherever they wanted”, after receiving threats and identifying “hostile actors” who posed a risk to Jewish safety.
The CAA announced the walk after its chief executive, Gideon Falter, was stopped by a police officer from crossing a road near a pro-Palestine protest last week. because he was “openly Jewish”.
Footage showed a prolonged and tense standoff between police and Mr Falter, while a Met officer described his presence as “antagonizing”.
The activist then spoke to another police officer who said that if he remained in the area he would be arrested.
After the incident, Mr Falter criticized the He knew and said there were “no-Jewish zones”, while Scotland Yard apologized twice by the officer’s choice words.
The CAA released a statement announcing that the walk would not take place, saying: “We have received numerous threats and our monitoring has identified hostile actors who appear intent on coming to any meeting location we have announced.
“The risk to the safety of those who wished to walk openly as Jews in London tomorrow as part of this initiative has therefore become too great.
“We are no less angry about these marches than our Jewish community and its allies. We want to walk.”
The group said it wanted the Metropolitan Police to not just “manage” the marches but also “police” them.
He urged anyone walking on Saturday to “stay safe.”
Gideon Falter criticized the Met after the incident
‘A double standard’
The CAA also said it has held discussions with the government to “propose concrete measures” to change the way police approach pro-Palestinian protests.
The CAA statement added: “Tomorrow’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march winds for two and a half miles. When we organized our peaceful march against anti-Semitism a few months ago, we were told that there was no way Royal Parks could be used.
“Once again, it appears that there are double standards. During the hours that this march drags on, central London will once again be confused.
“The police told us they intend to conduct the march in a manner no different from the passive manner they have become accustomed to over more than six months.”
Thousands of people turn out every week for pro-Palestine protests in central London
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The organization highlighted concerns about anti-Semitic chants, inflammatory posters and instances of glorification of terrorism, as well as incidents of violence, including attacks on police officers.
The statement added: “Tomorrow we will observe whether there is anything different in the way the Met conducts the march and next week we will progress our discussions with the government.
“We cannot allow the current situation to become the new normal.”
The Metropolitan Police said 450 arrests have been made since the pro-Palestine marches began, with 193 of them for anti-Semitic crimes, the majority involving posters, chants or expressions of hate speech.
The cost of policing the protests is approximately £38.5 million, the Met added.
Deadlock between protesters in London
‘Fear and uncertainty’
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the impact of the protests taking place weekly in London was “widely felt” but had been a “particular cause of fear and uncertainty in Jewish communities”.
Twist added that pro-Palestinian protests “never” reached the threshold where they posed a “risk of serious public disorder.”
He said: “The only legal route to banning a march is if there is a risk of serious public disorder – that is, rioting or serious violence that could not be addressed by other restrictions or conditions.
“We have never come close to that limit in these Palestinian Solidarity Campaign marches to date.”
The protests began in October last year. Photo: PA
A protest organized by the PSC will take place on April 27th in central London, following a pre-agreed route.
Simultaneously, a separate demonstration organized by the pro-Israel group Basta é Basta will follow a parallel route to the PSC march.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
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