The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has organised a public rally after the Metropolitan Police stopped it from showing images of kidnapped children on vehicles in London.
Last Thursday, the charity published a video on social media showing Met officers stopping the charity’s billboard vans from showing faces of Israeli children kidnapped by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The charity told Civil Society it has organised a rally outside New Scotland Yard this Wednesday and is considering legal action with regard to the incident.
It has not displayed images on vans since 19 October, although it continues to do so on stationary billboards.
Metropolitan Police said the incident happened as a vigil organised by activist organisation the Palestine Solidarity Campaign was finishing nearby and that officers’ priority was “the safety of everyone involved”.
CAA: ‘One of the most disturbing experiences’
Gideon Falter, chief executive of CAA, described the incident as “one of the most disturbing experiences in nine years” leading the charity.
“Right in front of Big Ben, I got a call from the volunteers who were shooting the pictures, really shaken up,” he said in the video.
“They had been stopped by protestors and then police had turned up and told them to turn off the billboards and clear off out of central London, otherwise there would be ‘a breach of the peace’. And I was just astonished by this.”
Met: ‘We understand why this has caused concern’
Metropolitan Police posted in a response on social media: “We have watched the video and we understand why this has caused concern.
“The officers were in the area because of a vigil that was happening nearby organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
“We have reviewed the body-worn video of the officers involved to establish the full sequence of events.
“This exchange happened at around the same time as the vigil came to an end and the priority of the officers was the safety of everyone involved and those nearby.
“We will be making contact with the Campaign Against Antisemitism to discuss the matter further and update them on the work taking place across the Met to tackle hate crime.”
