Overview
- The man, a Jewish lawyer in his 40s, was arrested on August 29 outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington and held for nearly ten hours before release on bail.
- Interview footage published this weekend shows a detective asking about his Star of David necklace and noting officers believed its display could be ‘antagonising’ or cause ‘offence’.
- Police maintain he was not arrested for the necklace but for allegedly repeatedly breaching Public Order Act conditions separating opposing groups, including approaching the IJAN area after multiple warnings.
- The lawyer says he was acting as an independent legal observer and accuses officers of effectively criminalising a Jewish symbol, a claim echoed by community critics including a former Met sergeant.
- Israel’s foreign minister condemned the handling; the Met says the circulated clip is a short excerpt of a longer interview, the force is reviewing concerns with community groups, and the investigation continues.