Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has accused the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) of “ignoring the reality of the law” with their interventions on pro-Palestine protests in London.
In a well-received speech made at Sunday’s Board of Deputies plenary, Rowley singled out comments made by both organisations following the latest Palestine Solidarity Campaign led demo in the capital, during which the Met made over 77 arrests.
Met arrest nearly 80 pro-Palestine activists after London demo route breach
The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) had criticised the Met’s decision to block the march, calling it “an outrageous assault on democracy, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression”.
Meanwhile in their statement the CAA said: “It is shameful that the Met has refused to act on that threat all this time and is mustering a show of strength only now that it appears that the war might be ending.
“The least that it can do is see this tokenistic gesture through and finally limit these marches to static protests, as we have been urging for over a year.”
Responding to each statement, Rowley told Deputies that the MAB were assuming “protest has no bounds and regardless of the effect on people you can protest in any way you want.”
In regards to the CAA’s claim he added: “There is no power in law to ban these protests, is the first point. Secondly, we don’t authorise any protest. The law doesn’t give us that power.”
Police make arrests at Jan 18th Palestine demo in London
Describing the CAA and MAB as “tougher minds” from “opposite sides” of the Israel-Palestine debate, Rowley said both organisations “are hoping something different would happen, and it’s sort of small peak political rhetoric they ignore the reality of the law.”
Britain’s most powerful police chief told Deputies that during the 15 months the Met had been “steering our way through complicated sets of laws, trying to balance the different rights.”
He added:”We have to take into account the Human Rights Act, that’s what the law says, and of course the rights of all communities, the rights of protesters and freedom of speech etc etc.”
Rowley said “the powers to condition protests are quite limited – we’ve used conditions on the protests more than we ever have done before in terms of times, constraints, routes..
“Always trying to balance the right to protest with the right of communities to serve serious disruptions.”
In regards to the conditions imposed on the PSC’s march last Saturday, Rowley said the Met had “taken account of the punitive disruption on communities, particularly on the business communities in central London and on Jewish communities.”
He said his command team had introduced “sharper and stronger conditions” on the organisers of the January 18th demo and had “moved the dial because of the changing picture”.Corbyn and McDonnell interviewed by police after Palestine march
Finishing his speech to loud applause from Deputies, Rowley said: “I know you won’t be happy with every decision we make, but I give you my absolute word, we are determined to do everything we can to ensure that every community can thrive, living, working and praying in London.”
Representatives from the Board, and the Community Security Trust and London Jewish Forum have been at the heart of constructive negotiations with the Met in recent weeks over the impact of the pro-Palestine protests on the community.
