Met chief defends officers accused of allowing anti-Israel mob to target Jewish restaurant
Dozens of people, calling themselves the “International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network”, gathered outside Miznon restaurant in Notting Hill on Friday night
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has defended the force’s handling of a demonstration outside an Israeli-owned restaurant in Notting Hill.
The Met has been accused of standing by while pro-Palestine protesters targeted the Israeli restaurant. Dozens of protesters, calling themselves the “International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network” gathered outside Miznon restaurant on Friday night.
The Met said officers were deployed to manage the demonstration and ensure both the right to protest and public order, but opponents have accused officers of simply standing by.
Speaking on LBC on Monday morning, Rowley said: “I do take very seriously how Jews in London feel and how the behaviour of protesters influences that. We are taking those issues very, very seriously.”
He also stressed the scale of policing operations. “We are putting more resources into policing protests than ever before,” Rowley told host Nick Ferrari, insisting that officers were balancing the right to lawful protest with protection of the wider community.
Rowley’s comments come after social media footage showed protesters outside the restaurant chanting hate slogans.
The Met said one man was arrested on suspicion of acts intended to stir up religious hatred and that the protest disbanded shortly afterward. Officers were present as part of a plan “to ensure people can exercise their right to protest peacefully, while ensuring that those in the wider community can go about their lives without serious disruption.”
Last year, Rowley faced accusations of “two-tier policing” over responses to clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and others, which he rejected as “disingenuous”.
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