The Metropolitan Police have announced that a planned protest this Friday in an area with a significant Jewish community in London will no longer be permitted, citing concerns over serious disruption to the local community.
The protests, organized by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) and supported by various affiliated groups, have been held on a near-weekly basis near the residence of Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely in the Swiss Cottage neighborhood since October 2023.
Originally set to take place at the junction of Finchley Road and Eton Avenue, the gathering has now been prohibited from assembling in Swiss Cottage or within a large area near it.
The decision follows a renewed assessment by police after the protest returned to the area last week. In February, similar conditions were imposed, requiring demonstrations to relocate outside of Swiss Cottage for an eight-week period, during which protests were held outside New Scotland Yard.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, responsible for policing in Camden and Islington, said: “The policing of protest must constantly balance the rights of people to protest with the rights of others to go about their lives without being subjected to serious disruption.”
He noted that protests in Swiss Cottage have raised specific concerns, taking place in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood on Friday evenings, just ahead of the Sabbath, amid heightened anxieties over rising antisemitic hate crime. “We have seen instances of hate speech and intimidating behaviour, including confrontation between this protest and counter protest groups,” he added.
Stewart emphasized that the law requires an assessment of each protest individually, but that the cumulative impact of sustained activity can be taken into account. “It is our position, after careful consideration, that the only way to prevent that level of disruption in this case is to use our powers to require the protest to take place elsewhere,” he stated.
Police have shared the details of the conditions with community representatives and affirmed their willingness to facilitate peaceful protests at alternative, more suitable locations. Officers will be present in Swiss Cottage on Friday evening to ensure the order is upheld and any breaches are appropriately addressed.
At the beginning of the week, the Jewish Chronicle reported that anti-Israel protestors returned to Swiss Cottage on May 2, following the end of a month-long police ban, and tore down yellow hostage ribbons placed in support of Israeli captives. The protest was again led by IJAN and the Jewish Network for Palestine (JNP), though largely attended by non-Jewish participants.
One demonstrator, Latifa Abouchakra, was observed among those removing the ribbons tied to railings. Abouchakra, a reporter for Iran’s state-run Press TV, has previously praised the October 7 Hamas-led massacres as “a moment of triumph,” stating, “Gaza will write its name in blood.”
During an interview while holding the ribbons, Abouchakra said: “We took it upon ourselves to remove these representations of Jewish supremacy. [They signify that] only Jewish hostages, Israeli hostages, have value, whereas there are thousands of Palestinians who remain hostages. [Palestinians] who have been taken by the Zionist entity, who have been maimed and raped and killed and deprived of all human rights.”