LONDON – A British lawyer in his 40s says he was detained by Metropolitan Police officers after wearing a Star of David necklace at a pro-Palestine demonstration on August 29, and that officers told him the symbol had “antagonized” protesters, according to media reports.
The man told reporters he was taken to Hammersmith police station and held for nearly 10 hours. He said an interviewing officer asked him what necklace he had been wearing and suggested that the pendant could cause offense and provoke demonstrators.
The Metropolitan Police said the detention was related to public order concerns and maintaining separation between rival groups. The force denied that the man was arrested solely for wearing a Jewish symbol and said officers acted to prevent a breach of the peace.
Video and interview extracts published by British outlets show an officer questioning the man about whether he had been trying to agitate the crowd. The man told the Telegraph and other media that he was serving as an independent legal observer at the event and that he had not engaged in provocative behaviour.
The account has prompted swift condemnation from Israeli officials and Jewish organisations. Israelโs foreign ministry described the detention as unacceptable, and Foreign Ministry officials called the episode a moral outrage. Jewish advocacy groups in Britain said the incident underscored growing concerns about the safety of openly Jewish people at political demonstrations.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism and other community bodies said police questioning that frames a Jewish symbol as potentially “antagonizing” risks normalizing the marginalization of Jewish identity. These groups urged the Met to clarify its procedures for handling people who display religious symbols at contested demonstrations.
The Met said in a statement that it has a duty to preserve public safety and that any detention must be judged by the circumstances of the event. The force said officers had to prevent rival groups from coming into contact, and that investigative material would not be disclosed while inquiries continue.
Legal experts noted the tension between freedom of expression and public order policing. They said police have powers to act when behaviour risks a breach of the peace, but questioned whether the display of a religious symbol alone should be treated as evidence of intent to provoke. The detained man said he feared the encounter suggested police were treating Jewish identity as a potential threat.
Community leaders said the episode will increase anxiety among London Jews, many of whom already report concerns about personal safety at demonstrations. They called for transparent police guidance that protects the right to display religious and national symbols while ensuring protests do not cross into hate or violence.
Police handling of protests has been a flashpoint in Britain in recent years. Authorities said crowd control and the separation of opposing groups pose operational challenges. Jewish organisations said better training and clearer policies are needed so that lawful expression of identity is not conflated with provocation.
The detained man said he will consider legal action and will continue to wear his Star of David in public. He described the interrogation as chilling and as evidence that Jewish identity is increasingly politicized on Londonโs streets.
This article is based on verified information from The Times of Israel, The Independent, The Telegraph, i24news, and The Jerusalem Post.