A Jewish lawyer has accused London’s Metropolitan Police of arresting him at a pro-Palestine protest for wearing a Star of David necklace.
The man, who has concealed his identity out of concern for his safety, was arrested by police on Aug 29th at a demonstration outside of the Israeli embassy in London.
Footage of his interrogation obtained by The Telegraph reportedly documents officers questioning the man about his “political beliefs” and suggesting that he was “antagonising” the protesters.
A detective is quoted asking if he was “stoking the fire with these pro-Palestine protesters” before specifically referencing the lawyer’s Star of David necklace.
“It’s not to discriminate. I want to have that on record. I am not asking that question to cause you any offence. However, if we had proceeded with my line of questioning, the officers have noted in their statements that they believed because the Star of David was out and present to people… they felt that was antagonising the situation further,” the detective reportedly said.
However, the Met denied that the lawyer was arrested for wearing a Star of David but rather for allegedly “repeatedly breaching” a police order to keep distance from the pro-Palestine demonstrators.
The lawyer, who claimed to have been acting as a legal advisor at the time of his arrest, claimed that it represented “one of the clearest examples of two-tier policing you will ever see.”
“Police are arguing that wearing a Star of David is antagonising to protesters while we have seen all manner of anti-Semitic slogans on placards and shouted at Jews that have gone unpunished.”
The incident was also criticised by Jerusalem, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar commenting: “The Star of David is a symbol of Jewish identity, not provocation.
“The fact that Jews are warned in central London not to display it publicly shows how rampant anti-Semitism spread through hateful “pro-Palestinian” marches in Britain has poisoned the streets.
“This is a moral disgrace. The British authorities must act: ban anti-Semitic slogans and conduct a full institutional review.”
It comes amid a political firestorm after Israeli fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team were banned from attending the Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham next month over concerns of safety, with the West Midlands Police expressing concern about its ability to manage potential pro-Palestine demonstrations at the game.
On Sunday, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called for the ban to be overturned and said that the government was working to ensure the safety of the Israeli fans. Miliband, who comes from a Polish-Jewish family, said that there cannot be a “no-go area” for Jews in Britain.
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