As the United Kingdom joins France, Australia, and Canada in pushing for an end to the war in Gaza -- by awarding Hamas with a Palestinian state -- it's helpful to remember just how far the UK has fallen.
The encounter in this video originally happened in April of last year, as Gideon Falter, the CEO of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, walked outside during a pro-Palestine protest in London. Wearing a kippah, Falter was confronted by a law enforcement officer who threatened to arrest Falter for "breaching the peace" because of the behavior of the antisemitic protesters:
“You are quite openly Jewish”
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) September 23, 2025
“If you choose to remain here you will be arrested for breaching the peace”
In Sadiq Kahn’s diverse & inclusive London - Police threaten you with arrest just for being Jewish in areas of the City people might take offence to that. pic.twitter.com/GDsennTflU
This is the epitome of victim-blaming. Falter is being blamed for how others react to his presence in public -- a clear message that one cannot be openly Jewish in London.
Following the outrage and backlash, the Metropolitan Police were compelled to issue an apology. But they even got that wrong. Assistant commissioner Matt Twist said, "The video posted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism will further dent the confidence of many Jewish Londoners which is the opposite of what any of us want. The use of the term ‘openly Jewish’ by one of our officers is hugely regrettable. It’s absolutely not the basis on which we make decisions, it was a poor choice of words and while not intended, we know it will have caused offence to many. We apologize.”
More outrage followed after Twist's apology blamed a "poor choice of words" and the Metropolitan Police were forced to delete that first apology. In a follow up mea culpa, they said, "In an effort to make a point about the policing of protest we caused further offense. This was never our intention. We have removed that statement and we apologize. Being Jewish is not a provocation. Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in the city."
One French X user noted, "No, but the English police are a joke. My God... to please the Islamists, they're clearing the Jews from the streets. Everything's fine..."
Everything is not fine. It wasn't fine in 2024 and it's not fine now.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer endorsed a separate Palestinian state, saying in a video message, "The hope of a two-state solution is fading, but we cannot let that light go out. Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly, as prime minister of this great country, that the UK formally recognizes the state of Palestine."
President Trump blasted the UK and other Western nations recognizing Palestine, saying, "If you do that, you really are rewarding Hamas -- and I'm not about to do that." He's correct, of course.
And Jewish Londoners have to wonder, given their country's position on Palestine and how the police handled a "visibly Jewish" man in the city, if they are truly safe in their city.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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