A British police chief has requested London's Jewish community to provide proof an extremist rally being planned for July 4 in Golders Green will be anti-Semitic, so authorities can shut it down.
According to a Jewish Chronicle report, Barnet borough commander Adrian Usher claimed that if there was evidence the rally is “motivated by antisemitism, then that is clearly against the law and we will take robust action.”
Dozens of Jewish community members have called on the police to ban the rally, which the far-right group New Dawn is promoting as a demonstration against "Jewish privilege."
Meanwhile, Jewish grassroots group the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism is already planning a counter-protest, which has attracted the support of some 1,400 people.
Using the slogan "They Shall Not Pass," CAA has called on the community to "stand united" against a "neo-Nazi demonstration."
Usher, however, was taking a more cautious approach, urging Jews not to overreact. “I need the community to be calm and consider their response on hard facts. I appreciate it’s a highly emotive issue, but the law does not consider emotion, merely fact," he said.
A CAA spokesman responded: “It is outrageous that in 2015, neo-Nazis are being allowed to hold a demonstration in Golders Green on a Saturday when their sole purpose is to intimidate and incite."
“We were promised zero tolerance but just weeks after the election, neo-Nazis are planning a bare-faced racist rally under police protection. We have been working to get police to impose section 14 of the Public Order Act but so far our request has been ignored."
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Community Security Trust have both announced backing for the CAA protest.
“It is explicitly anti-Semitic to talk about Jewish privilege and as such it is totally unacceptable and it must be and it will be resisted to the finish by our community," newly elected Board President Jonathan Arkush stressed.