Ministers have called for action to be taken against the Metropolitan police after an officer was filmed suggesting that being “openly Jewish” was a provocation to pro-Palestinian protesters.
The incident has prompted calls by the former home secretary Suella Braverman and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) for the head of the Metropolitan police, Sir Mark Rowley, to resign or to be fired.
The government has also condemned the incident but said it was for the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, to hold Rowley to account.
On Sunday the energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, said: “It’s right that action is taken, because you can’t have a position where one group of people, one identity, the Jewish community, in this case, are being told they can’t go about their daily lives, because that might be a provocation.”
Speaking to Sky News she added: “What happens next is a matter for the Labour London mayor who has the responsibility to hold the Met to account.”
The mayor of London does have the power to effectively sack the commissioner, but can only do so with the permission of the home secretary, who can also require the mayor to dismiss the head of the Met.
The CAA published footage of a police officer describing its chief executive, Gideon Falter, of being as “openly Jewish” during a protest in central London last weekend.
In the clip, another officer told Falter he would be arrested if he did not leave the area because he was “causing a breach of peace with all these other people” as his presence was “antagonising”.
The Met apologised on Friday, suggesting opponents of pro-Palestinian marches “must know that their presence is provocative” and they are “increasing the likelihood of an altercation” by lining the route to object.
But the force subsequently issued another statement apologising for the “further offence” caused by its first apology.
Rowley said: “Every member of the Met is determined to ensure that London is a city in which everyone feels safe.
“We absolutely understand how vulnerable Jewish and Muslim Londoners feel since the terrorist attacks on Israel.
“Some of our actions have increased this concern. I personally reiterate our apology from earlier this week.
“Today, as with every other day, our officers will continue to police with courage, empathy and impartiality.”
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Braverman said it was time for Rowley to go. She said: “Either this is gross incompetence, or it’s a culture coming from the top, where thugs are free to intimidate and harass while the rest of us have to keep our mouths shut and stay out of the way.”
“If the marches are so peaceful, why was an ‘openly Jewish’ man stopped from walking near them? Despite the apology and then the apology for the apology, the truth is chilling. Over the past six months, we’ve seen failure after failure by the Met.
“If the Met commissioner is incapable of or unwilling to ensure that his officers enforce the law, and Sadiq Khan is happy with the soft approach to the hate marches, then the prime minister needs to get a grip.|
In a statement Falter, said: “Racists, extremists and terrorist sympathisers have watched the excuses and inertia of the Met under his command and been emboldened by his inaction at precisely the moment when he should be signalling a renewed determination to crack down on this criminality.
“What the Met under Sir Mark has done to the Jewish community over the course of six months is utterly unforgivable and it is time for him to go. Enough is enough.”
The home secretary, James Cleverly, has written to the Met and Khan about the incident.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We welcome the Met police’s apology, and recognise the complexities of policing fast-moving public protests, but simply being Jewish – or of any other race or religion – should never be seen as provocative.
“Anyone of any religion should be free to go about their lives and feel safe doing so.”
A spokesperson for the London mayor said: “Everybody must feel safe going about in London wherever they please.
“The way the original incident was dealt with by the Met was concerning and the original response put out by them was insensitive and wrong.
“The Met have an extremely difficult job – particularly so when it comes to operational decisions taken while policing marches – but in the end the Met must have the confidence of the communities they serve and it is right that they have apologised for the way the incident was handled and their original public response.”