Achi news desk-
The Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, is facing calls to quit after an angry backlash to his police response during a Pro-Palestine protest.
Rowley replaced Cressida Dick as Met commissioner back in 2022, following a particularly turbulent period for the police. So why is he being asked to step down now, less than two years later?
Here’s what you need to know.
What happened?
On Friday, April 13, a police officer was seen on video describing a man – Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) – as an “open Jew” at a pro-Palestinian protest in London.
According to footage published by the CAA, the officer said: “You are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestine march. I’m not accusing you of anything, but I’m worried about the reaction to your presence.”
Falter was wearing a kippah skull cap at the time and said he had just walked past the protest to go to the synagogue.
He was told that his presence caused a “breach of the peace”.
In one clip of the incident, an officer told Falter: “There’s a unit of people here now.
“You will be escorted out of this area so you can go about your business, go where you want freely, or if you choose to stay here because you are causing a disturbance with all these other people , you will be arrested.”
Did the Met apologise?
The Met Police issued an apology for the officer’s use of the phrase “openly Jewish” on Friday – but those “against the protest” along the march route suggested “their presence must be provocative”. .
The police also claimed that this increased the “likelihood of a brawl”.
The police then deleted the original statement on X (formerly Twitter) following significant criticism, and issued another apology.
The second statement read: “The use of the term ‘openly Jewish’ by one of our officers is a source of great regret. We know it will offend many. We repeat our apologies.
“We have reflected on the strength of the response to our previous statement. In an effort to make a point about protest policing, we caused further offence. This was never our intention. We have removed that statement and apologize.
“Being Jewish is not a provocation. Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in this city.
“Our commitment to protecting the public extends to all communities across London. It is important that our public statements reflect that more clearly than they did today.”
According to The Guardian, Rowley said: “Every member of the Met is determined to ensure that London is a city where everyone feels safe.
“We fully understand how vulnerable Jewish and Muslim Londoners feel since the terrorist attacks on Israel.
“Some of our actions have increased this concern. Personally, I repeat our apology from earlier this week.
“Today, like every other day, our officers will continue to police with courage, empathy and impartiality.”
Who is calling on Sir Mark to resign?
Falter has accused Sir Mark of “blaming the victim”. He told Sky News that “the time has come for Mark Rowley to go”, claiming he should either “resign or be sacked by the mayor and the home secretary”.
He claimed that this was not an isolated incident, but he was glad that people were “finally paying attention to it” six months after the start of the Israel-Gaza war.
The conflict in the Middle East began last October, when Hamas militants, who were based in Gaza, killed 1,200 people on Israeli soil and took about 240 other people hostage.
Israel declared war – some 33,000 people in the Palestinian territory of Gaza have been killed since then, according to the local health ministry run by Hamas.
Pro-Palestinian marches have taken place regularly in the months since the war broke out.
Former home secretary Suella Braverman described the Met’s response to these protests as “failure after failure” – and called on Rowley to resign.
The board of Deputies of British Jews released a statement on Sunday requesting an “urgent meeting” with Sir Mark, accusing the force of making “a series of high-profile errors” over its policing of the pro-Palestinian marches.
“The entirely avoidable mistakes have had a devastating effect on the high level of trust that the UK Jewish community had in the police,” the board said.
“We have written to the commissioner to request an urgent meeting to reinforce the seriousness of the situation and to begin to restore this dire loss of confidence.”
What does the government think?
Energy secretary Claire Coutinho stopped short of calling for Rowley’s resignation on Sunday morning.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “There has been a serious misstep here. What you don’t want is for any community to feel like they can’t live their normal lives.
“The home secretary has contacted Sir Mark Rowley. There will be a meeting in the next few days.
“But the mayor of London is responsible for policing and I think it’s really important that he gets to grips with these protests.”
He said he would not go “as far” as removing the commissioner, as “there will be talks in the coming days”.
It is understood that Cleverly has also written to the mayor.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We welcome the Met police’s apology, and recognize the complexities of policing fast-moving public protests, but being Jewish – or of any other race or religion – should never be considered provocative.
“Anyone of any religion should be free to live their lives and feel safe doing so.”
What does London mayor Sadiq Khan think?
Khan has the power to sack the Met commissioner but only with the approval of the home secretary, James Cleverly.
A spokesman for the Labor mayor told Sky News: “Everyone should feel safe going around London wherever they want. The way the original incident was handled by the Met was worrying and the original response they gave was insensitive and wrong.
“The Met have an incredibly difficult job – especially so when it comes to operational decisions made in policing parades.
“But ultimately the Met must have the confidence of the communities they serve and it is right that they have apologized for the way the incident was handled and their original public response.”
Labour’s shadow justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, admitted that the masses had not “covered themselves in glory” during the events.
However, he told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday Morning: “I can understand the strength of the feeling and as I say the film is very worrying and I can understand where Mr Falter is coming from.
“But I don’t think the resignation of the Met commissioner is the way forward.”
