London Police; You Look Jewish...

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Threatening to arrest someone for looking Jewish is something I can see you supporting and excusing it because it wasn't his physical appearance but his attire.

No one was being threatened with arrest because they were looking Jewish.

That is either your inability to comprehend an exchange, or you are deliberately twisting and distorting what was said. I am inclined to the latter option as you have a marked tendency to caricature and misrepresent.

The first police officer asked Mr Falter to "stay there please". Mr Falter indicated that he did not want to stay but wished to leave indicating "I want to go that way" towards where the protesters were walking. The officer replied that "When the crowd is gone I will happily escort you out". That is conciliatory . It is not intimidatory Nor did he wish for "anybody to antagonise anybody".

He also considered that given Mr Falter was wearing his yarmulke - hence displaying his Jewish identity, i.e. he looked Jewish he was "worried about the reaction to your presence" .

I'm sure you'd support the police rounding up everyone wearing a crucifix who are in the vicinity of a pro-abortion protest.

As expected - a histrionic OTT remark..

[KingsGambit]

Do you think that is true?

Yes, the burden of proof is on you to demonstrate it was a lie.

[Mountain Man]

I wonder how our liberal friends would be responding if this was a story about a black man threatened with arrest for being near a white supremacist march.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Yes, the burden of proof is on you to demonstrate it was a lie.

Synagogue services are held in the morning. The demonstration appears to be taking place in the afternoon.

And this is another article from The Guardian that refers to a longer video obtained by Sky News

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...video-sky-news
Coverage of the exchange between Gideon Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, and an unidentified Metropolitan police officer during a large pro-Palestinian march on Saturday initially centred on a clip released by the CAA.
In the 55-second clip, the police officer says: “You are quite openly Jewish, this is a pro-Palestinian march, I’m not accusing you of anything but I’m worried about the reaction to your presence.”
Sky News has since released a 13-minute video which shows a much longer and more nuanced exchange between Falter and the officer in Aldwych, central London.

Initial story about ‘openly Jewish’ incident not full picture, says ex-senior Met officer

Read more
Much of the dialogue is indistinct due to the noise of the passing demonstration, or because Falter or the police officer are obscured by others while they are speaking, or because the pair are talking over one another.
The Sky video does not appear to include the comment about Falter being “openly Jewish”.
Who is in the Sky News video?
Falter is accompanied by several men, some of whom are wearing kippahs (Jewish skull caps). Falter is also carrying a bag containing his prayer shawl. One of the group appears to be filming the exchange on his phone. Two apparent members of the group are behaving as security personnel would, scanning the crowd rather than the encounter between Falter and the officer.
The police officer is unidentified, and his face is blurred in the video. There are other police officers around, some in hi-vis jackets. Most of the exchanges are between Falter and the main officer, but other officers also speak to Falter during the 13-minute video.
What is the reason for the exchange?
Falter wants to cross the road, across the path of the demonstration. The officer refuses to let him step off the pavement into the demonstration, instead offering to escort him around the march so he can reach his destination. Falter asserts he is being denied free passage across the road “because I’m Jewish”.
What is the demeanour of the officer and Falter?
Both are reasonably polite despite their differences and frustrations. Several times, Falter attempts to push his way through a cordon of police, but without using much force. The officer calls Falter “sir” throughout the exchange. At one point Falter says: “Why are you shouting at me?” The officer replies: “Because it’s loud.”
What are the key exchanges?
(This is not a complete transcript)
Officer: [It’s a] big demonstration, an awful lot of people. I’ve been dealing with people all day saying can I get across.
Falter: Because I’m Jewish.
Officer: I can already see what your mindset is, sir.
Falter: My mindset? My mindset is that I’m Jewish in London.
The officer suggests Falter is being “disingenuous”.
Falter: I’m not being disingenuous. I can do whatever the hell I want. If I want to walk to that pavement [pointing across the road], that’s what I’m going to do, and you’re going to have to arrest me. [Falter then attempts to breach a police cordon.]
Officer: I’d rather not do that.
Falter: Well then do it. I want to get out of here, I want to get across there. [Falter starts pushing against the police.]
Officer: I’d rather not, sir. I’ll tell you what, come with me, let’s get you out of here … You’re going to have to go the long way.
Falter: Why can’t I just walk where I want to walk?
Officer: Because there is a big demonstration. I will walk you out and then you can go … You want to leave, I’m offering you a route out.
Falter: The Metropolitan police says these marches are completely safe for Jews, there is no problem whatsoever. You’re telling me I cannot walk to the other pavement, that I have to be escorted.
Officer: That way you will be completely safe just as we promised, so we’re keeping our word.
Falter: You’re saying basically if I have a police escort.
Officer: I’m offering it to you, sir. I’ve already seen you deliberately leave the pavement and walk against the march. You chose to do that.
Falter: To get to the other side of the road.
Officer: It is disingenuous whether you like it or not. I will quite happily walk you there.
[Falter again tries to push through the police cordon. An unidentified voice says: The next time you try to push forward, you’ll be arrested. The officer repeats the offer to escort him.]
Falter: You’re telling me that I antagonise the crowd, that I engage in behaviour that you think is dangerous because I walked out into the road … I can’t cross the road because I’m Jewish.
Officer: No.
Falter: If I take this [his kippah] off … will you let me cross the road?
Officer: No, sir, because I’d have to follow you.
Falter: But if you trusted me to keep [it] off?
Officer: Unfortunately, I’ve already witnessed your behaviour … We’re going round in circles … I know you want to choose your route but I’ve explained several times, it’s a very big demonstration. On this particular occasion, you can’t choose your route … I don’t know how many times I can say it.
Falter: There are people shouting baby-killer and all sorts of things …
Officer: Not while I’ve been here.
Falter: … and you’ve not done a single thing about it.
Officer: I’m very sorry sir, but you’ve engaged me in conversation.
Falter: I have not engaged you in conversation, you started shoving me. [This is not seen in the Sky video]
Falter walks a few steps away and speaks with another officer, who warns him he may be arrested. Falter turns back towards the police cordon and is gently restrained by a female officer. Demonstrators begin chanting “shame on you” and “Zionist scum”.
What is shown in another video?
Another video emerged on Monday showing a Metropolitan police officer raising an allegation that Falter made a throat-cutting gesture during his presence at the march. It was filmed by Thomas Bowles, a freelance photographer.
The police officer tells Falter that there has been an allegation that he made a “cutting gesture” across his throat. “Is that true?” the officer asks. Falter replies: “No it’s not,” and asks to see evidence. “Your officers are making things up,” he says.
Drawing hands or fingers across the throat can be deemed a threatening gesture or even a threat to kill, and a number of cases have been brought to court.
A spokesperson for the CAA said the organisation’s own footage showed that “it was actually one of the protesters who made the gesture”.

The longer video can be found here https://news.sky.com/story/sky-news-...ewish-13120104

However, with no subtitles it is not easy to hear all the exchanges.

[seer]

I wonder how our liberal friends would be responding if this was a story about a black man threatened with arrest for being near a white supremacist march.

Exactly, would they have stopped them from crossing the street?

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Exactly, would they have stopped them from crossing the street?

Of course they would have been prevented. If a large march is going down a public thoroughfare an individual cannot just cut across it and through the marchers to get to the other side of that thoroughfare.

I suspect that if a black man attempted to cut across a white supremacist march to get to the opposites side of the street he would end up being badly beaten.

[seer]

I suspect that if a black man attempted to cut across a white supremacist march to get to the opposites side of the street he would end up being badly beaten.

So you are saying that these Hamas supporters would have badly beaten the Jewish guy...Got it...

[eider]

Then why did the Met apologize to him? And...

PM 'appalled' by police treatment of Jewish man

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd130lp70x5o

Look, the sergeant definitely made a mistake by suggesting that the troublemaker is Jewish, he should just have nicked him for breach of peace,,/assault.

How he could possibly have figured out that the bloke was Jewish is a mystery to me, neither you nor I would have guessed such a thing. Preposterous!

Why apologise? Why not? Very diplomatic!

What that nutcase should have told the copper is that he was just praying by the roadside, now that really would have caused some trouble, eh?

[Starlight]

I highly doubt he left the synagogue 50 minutes away to hang around where a bunch of people hate him.

I think the most likely scenario is that he heard at the synagogue that a pro-Israel counter protest would be happening near the pro-Palestine protest, and that he and a few others from the synagogue walked there to attend the pro-Israel counter-protest.

Here is a picture of that pro-Israeli protest which took place that day that he was most likely attending:

CounterProtest.PNG

Here is a youtube video showing both the protesters and counter protesters. It can clearly be seen that each group is behind its own barriers, and that police are standing in the space between the groups. The pro-Palestinian group is marching down one side of the street, while the pro-Israel group is stationary.

Police are in the space between, generally keeping the peace. The police appear to be content to let both protest groups do their thing, separated from each other, and behind their own barriers.

In the OP incident, I think the police were not very happy about the fact that he and others from his counter-protest group were out from in front of the barrier and were approaching too close to the pro-Palestinian protesters.

According to more recent updates to the story, the Jewish man spent 13 minutes, that are apparently on video, talking to police officers about the possibility of him entering the area through which the pro-Palestinian protesters were marching. The officers refused him entry to the side of the road behind the barricades where the protesters were marching. He claimed to simply want to cross the road, so the officers directed him further down the road where there were designated crossing points where he would have been able to cross past the protesters without incident (presumably overbridges/underbridges or police-controlled crossings). He insisted on wanting to not do that and to instead cross through the path of the marching protesters at his current location. The police officers seemed, in their course of their interaction with him, to come to believe that he was not being truthful and was trying to gain entry to the protest area in order to disrupt it. They were unwilling to let him create an incident, so refused him access to the marching protesters. In the course of the 13 minute conversation, the officer insisted he leave the area, and discussed the possibility of arrest if he refused.

In your opinion, it’s just fine for people to stand in the streets and scream threats of violence against another group of people

Generally speaking, peaceful protest is a basic human right / constitutional right / legal right.
Generally speaking, free speech is a basic human right / constitutional right / human right.

Generally speaking I think people being allowed to stage protest marches in the public space, chant some slogans, and express their anger or dissatisfaction over whatever cause they're concerned about is good. Generally speaking, my tolerance for such marches extends to causes I don't agree with, e.g. pro-life marches. Generally speaking, I think turning a deaf ear to whatever protesters are screaming in the heat of the moment is for the best, as it lets them vent, and respects their right to free speech.

The general readiness of conservatives on this forum to try to undermine the right to public protest, by asserting that police should stop such protests in a totalitarian manner, often disturbs me. Generally there seems to be a group of conservatives here who are quick to hyperventilate and scream when they feel their own 'sides' rights are being in any way impinged anywhere in the world, and yet take a very totalitarian attitude towards police intervention against the other 'side'.

suppose if a man pretending to be a woman was walking past a church just as the service ended and folks were leaving, and they waved and said "good morning, did you know Jesus loves you and will forgive you if you repent of your sins?"

Your vivid imagination keeps trying to pretend the incident happened in front of a synagogue, when it didn't.

you'd be screaming for the entire congregation to be arrested.

No I wouldn't. Please stop making up wildly false claims about me.

I use this smiley when I reply to you because of the stupid that drools out of your mouth every time you post anything.

Any time you post anything I imagine that's probably what you always look like, given the absurdities you write here in general.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

So you are saying that these Hamas supporters would have badly beaten the Jewish guy...Got it...

No.

[seer]

No.

So what was the problem with the Jewish guys crossing the street? You did ay this: I suspect that if a black man attempted to cut across a white supremacist march to get to the opposites side of the street he would end up being badly beaten.

[seer]

How he could possibly have figured out that the bloke was Jewish is a mystery to me, neither you nor I would have guessed such a thing. Preposterous!

That was easy, he was wearing a yamaka.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

So what was the problem with the Jewish guys crossing the street? You did ay this: I suspect that if a black man attempted to cut across a white supremacist march to get to the opposites side of the street he would end up being badly beaten.

My comment concerning the black man and the white supremacist march was in response to these exchanges:

I wonder how our liberal friends would be responding if this was a story about a black man threatened with arrest for being near a white supremacist march.

Exactly, would they have stopped them from crossing the street?

[seer]

My comment concerning the black man and the white supremacist march was in response to these exchanges:

So, what makes you think that the black man would be attacked? White supremacists can't march peacefully? Perhaps you are confusing them with your country's Brown shirts...

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

That was easy, he was wearing a yamaka.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yamaka
In Abhidhamma Pitaka
…To a particular author, (6) Yamaka (“Pairs”), a series of questions on psychological phenomena, each dealt with in two opposite ways, and (7) Patthana (“Activations,” or “Causes”), a complex and voluminous treatment of causality and 23 other kinds of relationships between phenomena, mental or material.

I think the word you are seeking is yarmulke which is pronounced "yamaka".