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Chief Rabbi accuses Met of failing to protect Jews from pro-Palestinian protests
Rabbi Mirvis said the force had fallen short in its duty to ensure Jews feel safe going to synagogue on Shabbat
December 23, 2024 14:21
Rabbi Mirvis said the force had fallen short in its duty to ensure Jews feel safe going to synagogue on Shabbat
December 23, 2024 14:21Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has accused the Metropolitan Police of failing to ensure British Jews feel safe after the force permitted pro-Palestinian protests to take place near London synagogues.
Speaking to The Times, the spiritual leader of central Orthodoxy in Britain said the Met had failed in its duty to keep the Jewish community safe by allowing a forthcoming demonstration to occur near two synagogues under his jurisdiction, Western Marble Arch and Central, on Saturday, January 18.
He spoke out after months of talks with the force failed to achieve an assurance that protests would not come close to local synagogues. Talks are ongoing, but Rabbi Mirvis said the Met's current stance is inadequate and especially disappointing as the protest is set to be held on a Saturday when many will be going to synagogue.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) chose the route in order to rally outside the BBC’s headquarters at Broadcasting House in Portland Place in protest at the broadcaster’s coverage of the war in Gaza.
One of the synagogues, Central, is a couple of streets away from Portland Place. Besides Western Marble Arch, also in the vicinity is the country’s oldest Reform Synagogue, West London.
Rabbi Mirvis said: “The Metropolitan Police are responsible… for upholding the right to peaceful protest and for ensuring that Jewish Londoners feel safe. There can be no justification for not making a clear commitment that the routes of Pro-Palestinian marches will not come anywhere close to local synagogues.
“It is hard to see the absence of such a commitment as anything other than a failure of the Met’s duty to members of Jewish communities who no longer feel safe walking to and from their synagogues on the Sabbath.”
The Community Security Trust (CST) chief executive Mark Gardner said: “We have repeatedly stated that these protests should be kept away from synagogues, especially on the Sabbath.
“Their chutzpah is unmatched, exploiting freedoms that they deny to others. Above all, they hate anyone suspected of backing Israel and we know full well what destruction they mean by slogans such as ‘River to the Sea’ and ‘Global Intifada’.”
In September, Scotland Yard admitted to making mistakes in its handling of the Gaza protests, which have been occurring almost every other weekend since October 7, 2023. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist acknowledged in an interview with Policy Exchange that the force should have responded more promptly to "jihad" chants.
The marches, which sometimes attract tens of thousands to the capital, have become the biggest continuing drain on police resources since before the 2012 London Olympics, The Times reported.
The Met said the force has imposed conditions on protests since they began last year and that no finalised policing plan or route has yet been agreed for the forthcoming march.
A Met spokesperson said: “We know the cumulative impact of more than a year of regular protest on London’s Jewish communities has been significant.
"This continues to inform our approach to policing protest particularly when organisers request routes which pass by locations such as synagogues and at significant times of year.
“Over the last year we’ve listened to the concerns of our communities and as a result we have been able to use our powers more extensively than ever before to impose conditions on planned protest.
“The Met has not yet finalised the policing plan for a PSC event on Saturday, 18 January. No route has been agreed as we are working to address concerns raised by members of the Jewish community.
“We are constantly working to balance the rights of the public to go about their lives without serious disruption and the right to lawful demonstration. When we have heard from all those potentially impacted by the march on 18 January, and explored options with the PSC, we will announce any conditions we decide to impose.”
The Palestine Solidary Campaign said: “The intention is to begin with a protest outside of the BBC to draw attention to its biased coverage. The march does not go past any synagogue. There is a synagogue some streets away from where the march assembles.”