London Jew accused of "breach of the peace" by looking "openly Jewish"

[everydaywonderful]

I'm gobsmacked by this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68856360

I'm sorry to all of you who are Jewish that you are being discriminated against in such a racist way.

It's all a bit close to home for me really as I recently found out from a cousin that my great grandparents were chased out of Peterborough (really!) in 1913 for 'looking and seeming like German Jews' basically their photography shop was smashed up and they were abused as they looked darker and had unusual foreign names. I have no idea if they were Jewish as my Dad lost touch with that side of his family as a child.
They moved to the safety of Bournemouth where they had family.

After all that my great grandfather still went and fought for the UK in ww1. I would not have bothered.

Some of my family still get racist comments - my sister was racially abused on the beach last year by a man.

He was making an obvious political point, though, however much we would disagree with the police response.
This situation is about a person who is targeted by dint of his ethnicity and/or religion, not political views.
That is far more sinister.

It was a comment about how the police can arrest people under breach of the peace if they feel their presence might cause others to be violent towards them,

The police do arrest people if they feel their presence in an area might cause a breach of the peace. Either that's right or that's wrong. It should not make a difference to who is being arrested.

Right. As I said, I find this case far more troubling as it targets someone Jewish.

People can choose to protest about the King.

People can't choose their ethnic looks.

It should not make a difference who is targetted.
Other minority groups e.g a transwoman at a protest against trans rights could be in the same situation.
An immigrant at a protest against immigration.

All people going about their daily lives - and all people who the police could say that it was unadvisable for them to be there as their presence could cause a breach of the peace.

It's wrong that anyone should be targetted. I am sure that the reaction would be very different if it was a transwoman at a protest against trans rights who just happened to be walking by.

People can't choose to be trans.

I wonder what the reaction would be if a transwoman got accused of breach of the peace if they happened to be at an anti-trans protest?

I think the issue, @cakeorwine , is that this is a signifier of troubling attitudes to Jews, about which we must be vigilant.
That's my concern, so I'll just leave it there.

But surely you can see the absolutely massive difference between holding up a piece of paper saying "not my king" and looking "jewish"

Someone holding a piece of paper saying not my king or wearing a tshirt saying not my king could be asked by the court to stop doing that but how precisely is someone to stop looking less like the person they are? Is the court going to pay for cosmetic surgery

What if its a black person next time, how do they stop being black

I personally would prefer it if people were allowed to wear tops saying not my king or hold up posters to that effect but it is in no way the same situation as this one.

Just watched. The aggression from those around him is awful

The fact he could be arrested just for looking Jewish is so bad

He spoke well, and he’s right in his views

The Police force badly need to be educated.

"What if its a black person next time, how do they stop being black"

The point is "Breach of the peace"

In law, the police can use "Breach of the peace" if they believe that your presence could lead to violence taking place - a breach of the peace.

It could be used against a black person if they were in a place where the police felt their presence could lead to a breach of the peace.

It's a law that is used against people - against protestors and against anyone who is in a place where the police feel that the presence of that person could lead to a breach of the peace.

I have had it used against me before by the police.

That officer should be sacked

As he said in the clip he didn’t have a sign nor slogans wrt the King example

If being an identifiable follower of a religion is enough to prompt concerns about the peace/is enough to cause genuine worry about violent escalation then it's not the religious person that's the problem.

This is very worrying.

I agree with his words in the clip the police are doing a very difficult job each week. It needs to go higher up

Similar happened to my family
in WW2, bricks through the windows because they weren’t British. (They weren’t German either). My grandad was fighting for the British!

The police could use this power against anyone who is at a protest, even by accident, who they felt that the presence of such a person could cause a breach of the peace.

A gay couple at an anti LGBT protest.
Someone from a minority ethnic background at a Far right protest
A trans person at an anti-trans protest.

It's a power the police can use to prevent in their view, a breach of the peace.

It is wrong in this case as it is on other cases.

Awful.

The bit at 5:18 is awful from the protestors. "Scum" "You're a Nazi" "We're all going to watch your movements".

I never understood HOW the Holocaust actually happened, just totally totally unfathomable. I'm so sorry to say that since 7th October (along with Covid), I can now see how society can go absolutely haywire.

I'm just so so sorry for Jewish communities here in the UK & around the world. I've written to my MP about the continued protests & how intimidating this must be for Jewish people, obviously to no avail. What can be done?

I apologise @cakeorwine I misunderstood and thought you were defending the actions not highlighting how wrong they were

Having spent some time reading the Conflict in the Middle East board, I can't begin to describe what a relief this thread is, with its moderate, balanced range of views and willingness to accept and condemn the fact that there is antisemitism happening openly and unchecked in the UK. Thanks to the OP for posting it here rather than there.

AgnesWickfield
I'd like that think that whatever people's opinions on the conflict in the middle east and their opinions of various governments' stances, they're human enough to criticise what happened in this situation.

If people can't peacefully protest about a cause without being antisemitic, hateful towards Jewish people nearby, and the police have concerns for the peace, the protest is the problem. Not British Jewish people, who should not have to deal with what this person faced.

I’m not Jewish. I’m horrified by much of the news recently. How can I help? I’d like to let my Jewish friends, acquaintances and colleagues know that I see them and feel for their suffering, but I don’t want to presume I know their story. Is there anything I can do or say to let them know that I agree this treatment is unacceptable, without making them uncomfortable or making it all about me in a virtue signallingy way?