A Jewish attorney in London was taken into custody by Metropolitan Police officers after wearing a visible Magein Dovid necklace at a pro-Palestinian rally, with police reportedly claiming the Jewish symbol could “antagonize” demonstrators and “cause offense,” according to a report by The Telegraph on Saturday.
The lawyer told The Telegraph that he was handcuffed and held for nearly ten hours, saying the police were attempting to “criminalize the wearing of a Star of David.”
He was detained at approximately 7 p.m. on August 29 during a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Israeli Embassy in London. The attorney said he was there to observe the demonstration, documenting illegal activity among the protesters and monitoring the police response.
According to his account, officers restrained his hands behind his back before escorting him into a police vehicle, where he was held for interrogation.
The Metropolitan Police, however, denied that his arrest had anything to do with the necklace, asserting that he was detained for “repeatedly breaching” police instructions meant to keep rival groups separated, The Telegraph reported.
The lawyer maintained that he had filmed as many as 30 examples of criminal behavior from the protesters, none of which resulted in convictions. He also said he was subjected to verbal abuse, including being called a “Zionist baby killer.”
“Police are arguing that wearing a Star of David is antagonising to protesters while we have seen all manner of antisemitic slogans on placards and shouted at Jews that have gone unpunished,” he told The Telegraph, calling the incident one of the starkest examples of what he described as “two-tier policing.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the alleged arrest on X, labeling the incident a “moral disgrace.”
“The Star of David is a symbol of Jewish identity, not provocation. The fact that Jews are warned in central London not to display it publicly shows how rampant antisemitism spread through hateful ‘pro-Palestinian’ marches in Britain has poisoned the streets,” he wrote.
“British Authorities must act: ban antisemitic slogans and conduct a full institutional review,” Sa’ar added.
For the sake of the many Jews in Britain, I hope the real reason for his arrest was his mixing with rival groups. Although that doesn’t make much sense, it’s less horrible than what the article’s headline suggests…