Metropolitan Police under fire after pro-Palestinian campaigners called for ‘crushing’ Zionists during demonstration

Scotland Yard came under fire from a former Tory minister last night after failing to intervene when pro-Palestinian campaigners called for the Zionists to be ‘put down’.

Lord Goldsmith claimed ‘violent groups’ have become ‘untouchable and emboldened’ after officers did nothing during a demonstration on Friday.

The former Environment Minister and London mayoral candidate criticized the ‘fundamental cowardice and stupidity’ of the Metropolitan Police and waded into the ‘two-tier police ranks’, adding that ‘people’s patience is very much running out’ .

Lord Goldsmith spoke out after video of an anti-Israel demonstration in Swiss Cottage, north London, on Friday evening showed police officers standing by as a female protester told a crowd: ‘These people are terminally insane and the disease is Zionism. And it’s incurable, so maybe they should just be put to sleep.”

In response to the video on Officers are conducting a thorough investigation, but we understand and acknowledge concerns about the apparent lack of immediate action from the officers present.

“We are investigating the circumstances to understand what happened.”

But Lord Goldsmith, 49, said police were simply too scared to arrest pro-Palestinian protesters, writing on social media: ‘There is nothing to investigate.

‘It’s all there, clear as day and indisputable – there are two layers to the police (and CPS) policy. We see it every week.

‘It is partly about prejudice and politicization, but it is mainly the result of fundamental cowardice and stupidity.

‘Why are certain crowds allowed to wave terror flags, sing genocide songs and wave swastikas? Because stopping it can ‘ignite’ things. Because of ‘community tensions’.

‘In other words: the more violent, aggressive and threatening groups become, the safer they are. They become untouchable and strengthened.’

The video on Friday evening was made by the campaign group Stop the Hate, which has been working to expose anti-Semitism and terrorist support for pro-Palestinian demonstrations that began after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

For most of the year, there have been weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations on Friday evenings at Swiss Cottage, as it is close to the Israeli ambassador’s home.

The same group of protesters was criticized earlier this month for targeting a Jewish community center where peace conference delegates were called a “baby killer” and “apartheid lover.”

A spokesperson for Stop the Hate said: ‘That several officers saw nothing problematic in a speech calling for the Zionists to be put down is a sad indictment of the state of policing in London.

“We have been warning for months that the lack of police action against anti-Semitism creates an environment of impunity that encourages anti-Semites to target a Jewish area, creating serious security problems for the local Jewish community. How many hate crimes and terrorist crimes must be committed at a protest before it can be stopped?’

The Metropolitan Police declined to comment further.