Met Police chief Mark Rowley should resign, says antisemitism campaigner called ‘openly Jewish’ by officer
An antisemitism campaigner has called for the head of the Metropolitan Police to resign after he was called “openly Jewish” by an officer and threatened with arrest at a pro-Palestinian march in London.
Gideon Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said Jewish Londoners cannot have confidence in the Met under Sir Mark Rowley’s leadership and accused the commissioner of “victim blaming” following the incident.
Mr Falter has already received two apologies from the police after releasing video footage showing exchanges he had with Scotland Yard officers when he tried to cross Aldwych in central London as the march passed by last Saturday.
In the video, an officer appears to prevent him crossing the road and tells him: “You are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything, but I am worried about the reaction to your presence.”
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‘If I remain here you will arrest me?’
Mr Falter, who was wearing a yarmulke and said he was simply walking past after attending synagogue, was then threatened with arrest if he did not leave the area.
He told Sky News: “I felt it was disgraceful, I could not understand how the police were able to look at a Jew walking down the street and decide that person is the threat, that person needs to be got rid of, not all the people around who were shouting abuse, but because I was walking down the street being a Jew.
“It is a farce, this incident happened last Saturday, still on Friday they were issuing statements blaming us, it is victim blaming. They are saying you walked down the street and that was a provocation. You shared the video and that made everyone look bad.
“It is not like that came from someone junior, Mark Rowley sent his assistant commissioner to issue that statement, this is coming from the top. We’ve waited six months for the Met to take control of these crowds, take control of the streets, and make London safe for law-abiding Londoners, he has failed to do that.
“I think the time has come now for Mark Rowley to go, he should either resign or be removed by the mayor and the home secretary.”
Sir Mark Rowley said he wanted to personally reiterate the Met’s apology
In response, Sir Mark said: “Every member of the Met is determined to ensure that London is a city in which everyone feels safe.
“We absolutely understand how vulnerable Jewish and Muslim Londoners feel since the terrorist attacks on Israel.”
Admitting that “some of our actions have increased this concern,” he added: “I personally reiterate our apology from earlier this week.
“Today, as with every other day, our officers will continue to police with courage, empathy and impartiality.”
Both Home Secretary James Cleverly and Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, have said the police were right to apologise, and policing minister Chris Philp says he will meet with Sir Mark next week.
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January: Thousands join pro-Palestine marches
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In the first apology, Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist maintained Mr Falter’s presence could be “provocative”, but in a second statement retracted that view.
“The use of the term ‘openly Jewish’ by one of our officers is hugely regrettable,” the statement said.
“We know it will have caused offence to many. We reiterate our apology.
“We have reflected on the strength of the response to our previous statement. In an effort to make a point about the policing of protest we caused further offence. This was never our intention. We have removed the statement and we apologise.
“Being Jewish is not a provocation. Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in this city.”
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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