SIR Mark Rowley must put in work to rebuild confidence and trust from British Jews, Rishi Sunak said today.
The PM stood by the embattled Met Chief as he faces calls to resign over handling of pro-Palestine protests.
EPARishi Sunak stood by the Met Police today amid complaints of the handling of pro-Palestine marches[/caption]
PASir Mark Rowley is facing calls to resign after the Met threatened to arrest a man for being “openly Jewish” near a Gaza demo[/caption]
AlamyOfficers threatened to arrest Gideon Falter for being ‘openly Jewish’ while walking alongside a Palestinian demo in London[/caption]
This month cops spark fury after they threatened to arrest antisemitism campaigner Gideon Falter for being “openly Jewish” while walking alongside a Gaza demo in London.
In a video widely shared online, he was told by police he was causing a breach of the peace.
An officer said: “You’re quite openly Jewish, this is a pro-Palestinian march.”
The Met were forced to make two apologies after originally suggesting Mr Falter’s presence had been “provocative” as he was wearing a skullcap.
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Mr Falter has called for Sir Mark to quit or be sacked by ministers over the astonishing blunder.
Ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the Home Office should ban pro-Palestinian protest marches if officers cannot guarantee the safety of people on all sides.
At a press conference in Downing Street today, the PM said: “I share the shock and the anger that many are feeling when they saw the clips over the weekend.
“And you know what I would say about Mark Rowley and the police, they do have a difficult job, of course I appreciate that.
“But what happened was clearly wrong. And it’s right that they’ve apologised for that.
“And yes, I do have confidence in him, but that’s on the basis that he works to rebuild the confidence and trust of not just the Jewish community, but the wider public, particularly people in London but more broadly.”
Mr Sunak added: “You regain that trust and that confidence by making it clear that the police are not tolerating behaviour that we would all collectively deem unacceptable when we see it because it undermines our values.
“And I think that is critical.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly will meet Sir Mark today to discuss the incident.
This morning Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell vowed Mr Cleverly will hold the Met’s top brass to account.
He told Sky News: “I think the police do an incredibly difficult job on these occasions, so I am not criticising the bobby on the beat who was policing the demonstration.
“But I think there are strategic issues including how we ensure that Jewish people, people of any faith at all, can go about their business in London and not be impeded in the way that he was and not be stopped from walking through the streets of London because of the demonstrations that were taking place.
“That’s a strategic issue and it needs to be resolved by the police.”
Sir Mark has reiterated the force’s apology and acknowledged that some officers’ actions had increased “concerns”.
Ahead of the meeting, Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said she is not yet calling for him to go.
But she added that some serious incidents are causing the Jewish community to have a “complete loss of confidence in the police”.
She told Times Radio: “Historically, the Jewish community has always had a very good relationship with the police and I think it’s really important that we do so going forward.
“And the responsible thing to do is to put our concerns, and they have been widely, widely publicised. And it’s up to the police now to be able to tell us what they’re going to be able to do.
“And if the police feel that they need more legislation, then that’s also a matter for the Government and the Home Secretary.”