The head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism was prevented from crossing a street near a pro-Palestine demonstration in London last Saturday.

An antisemitism activist has been threatened with arrest just meters from a pro-Palestine march when a Metropolitan Police officer said his presence was “antagonistic”.

A video, posted on social media, showed Gideon Falter being told by police that he was “openly Jewish” and causing a “breach of the peace.”

The chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) was wearing a kippah when he was stopped from crossing a road near the demonstration in the Aldwych area of ​​London last Saturday.

An officer told him: “You are openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything, but I am concerned about the reaction to your presence.”

Another officer said: “There is now a unit of people here.

“You will be escorted out of this area so you can go about your business, go wherever you want freely or if you decide to stay here because you are causing a breach of the peace with all these other people, you will be arrested.”

The clip showed the officer saying that Mr. Falter’s presence was “antagonistic.”

After the incident, Falter criticized the Met, saying there were “no-go areas for Jews”.

He said: “Despite being told repeatedly that London is safe for Jews when these marches take place, my interactions with police officers last Saturday show that the Met believes that being openly Jewish will antagonize anti-Israel protesters and that Jews need protection. Something the police cannot guarantee.”

He added: “Rather than addressing that threat of anti-Semitic violence, the Met’s policy appears to be that law-abiding Jewish Londoners should not be in the parts of London where these marches are taking place.

“In other words, they are forbidden zones for Jews.”

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Falter said he will walk through London on April 27, adding that no part of the capital should be unsafe.

The CAA said in a statement that Falter had gone to a synagogue last Saturday and then went for a walk with other people.

He added: “They were openly Jewish but they had no badges or banners, they weren’t shouting anything, they weren’t saying or doing anything political and they weren’t looking to interact with any protesters or join any counter-protests. They were trying to walk around London.” , where we wanted, as Jews, but they couldn’t.

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in London last Saturday to call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and to urge the UK government to stop all arms sales to Israel.

In a statement, the Met said they were aware of the video and “fully recognize the concern it has caused, not only to those who appear in it, but also to anyone who views it.”

The force said: “We recognize that the conflict between Israel and Hamas remains an issue of concern for many Londoners, and this includes the regular protests and marches in central London.

“Everyone has the right to travel safely through the capital.”