Former Police Officer Clarifies: Gideon Falter's Encounter with Met Officer at Pro-Palestinian Demonstration Was Not Antisemitic
A senior former police officer stated on Monday that initial reports of an incident between a Metropolitan Police officer and a Jewish man during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London did not accurately represent the situation.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism shared footage on Friday showing a police officer warning their CEO, Gideon Falter, about his "openly Jewish" appearance potentially provoking protesters.
However, a longer version of the video broadcast by Sky News revealed that the officer was expressing concern over Falter's actions, which seemed to be deliberately attempting to provoke the demonstrators.
A former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent, Dal Babu, stated on BBC Breakfast that extended footage of an incident involving activist Mark Falter and police during a protest in London reveals a different encounter than previously reported.
The footage shows Falter trying to push past officers for over 13 minutes, and Babu believes the officers showed restraint.
He also mentioned that the officers offered to help Falter and his group cross at a more appropriate place.
Babu expressed his personal opinion that he would have arrested Falter for assaulting a police officer and breaching the peace if he were in charge of policing the march.
The short version of the video released by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) shows Falter attempting to cross the road through the protest march while wearing a kippah.
A man named Falter was approached by a police officer during a march and was given the option to be escorted elsewhere due to his presence potentially causing breach of peace and antagonization.
The officer was concerned that Falter was trying to incite a reaction after he deliberately walked into the middle of the march.
The Metropolitan Police commissioner was scheduled to meet with Jewish group leaders to discuss the incident.
Previously, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) had faced criticism for equating support for Palestinians or anti-Zionist views with antisemitism.