London police detain Jewish lawyer for wearing Star of David at pro-Palestinian rally

Police in London detained a Jewish lawyer wearing a Star of David necklace at a pro-Palestinian rally in the British capital, according to footage released Saturday by The Telegraph. The man was held for 10 hours at a West London police station after officers claimed he had “antagonized” demonstrators by leaving his designated protest area.

The incident occurred on Aug. 29 outside the Israeli embassy in London’s Kensington district. In a video clip of the encounter, police officers argue that the visible Jewish symbol constituted “antagonism.”

“What necklace are you wearing?” a detective is heard asking the lawyer in the interview clip, arguing that the Star of David is a potential “antagonistic emblem or sign.”

The discriminatory incident has sparked backlash from civil liberties groups. 

Speaking to the Telegraph on condition of anonymity, the Jewish lawyer said he acted as an independent legal observer with the aim to identify potential illegal conduct by the anti-Israel protesters. However, London police officers claimed that he repeatedly approached the pro-Palestinian cordoned area and breached the conditions for counter-protesters by filming the anti-Israel participants. 

“It is outrageous that police should claim wearing a Star of David somehow antagonizes people… In an environment of antisemitism, I will not be cowed by this,” he told the Telegraph. 

London Metropolitan Police denied that the Jewish man was arrested for wearing the necklace with the Star of David but “for allegedly repeatedly breaching” the rules that seek to separate the protesters from the opposite sides. The police also claimed the man ignored at least four warnings from authorities before he was detained. 

Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents have risen sharply in the UK since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. For the past two years, London has become a regular focal point for some of the world’s largest anti-Israel rallies. 

Anti-Israel activists usually deny that they are driven by Jew hatred. However, antisemitic slogans have become an integral part of the rallies against Israel's very existence and calls for murdering Jews. 

The British Community Security Trust (CST) reported in August 2024 that a record 2,000 verified antisemitic incidents were registered during the first six months of 2024. The report noted that antisemitism has particularly exploded on the Internet. 

“The surge in online antisemitism is partly a result of the war in Gaza and the subsequent proliferation of dialogue, debate, information and disinformation on social media platforms, which sometimes slip into anti-Jewish hate,” the CST stated.

In early October, on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar – Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent and known Islamist, murdered two British Jews at a synagogue in Manchester.

While the British government condemned the antisemitic attack, many British Jews have become increasingly critical of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his cabinet’s handling of the Middle East conflict and antisemitism in the UK. 

“This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come,” British Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis wrote in a post on 𝕏 after the lethal synagogue attack. 

“For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere – this is the tragic result. This is not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share,” he argued. 

Former hostage Emily Damari, a dual British-Israeli national, criticized British authorities earlier this week for banning Israeli soccer fans from attending an upcoming match between the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa.

“Shame on you. I hope you come to your senses and reconsider. I wonder what exactly has happened to British society – it's like putting a big sign outside the stadium saying ‘No Jews Allowed.’ What has happened to Britain, where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What kind of sad world are we living in?” Damari wrote on social media.