Something chilling happened in London this week - something that should worry not only British Jews but Jews everywhere.
A Jewish lawyer was detained by London police after wearing a Star of David necklace at a pro-Palestinian rally. Officers reportedly described the Jewish symbol as a “possible antagonistic emblem or sign.” He was held for around ten hours under questioning.
Pause on that for a moment. A Jewish symbol - one worn daily by millions of Jews worldwide - was treated by British law enforcement as a provocation.
This is not happening in Tehran or Ramallah. This is London, 2025.
The Metropolitan Police claimed the lawyer was not arrested because of the necklace but for “breaching” protest-zone restrictions separating pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators. Yet even the police acknowledged that the Star of David itself was flagged as a flashpoint.
Would they have said the same if it had been a cross, a hijab, or a Sikh turban?
For Britain’s Jewish community, this incident touches a raw nerve: a symbol of Jewish faith was treated as something dangerous. It raises the question of whether the state sees Jewish identity as something to protect - or to manage.
The detained lawyer put it bluntly:
“It is outrageous that police should claim wearing a Star of David somehow antagonizes (sic) people. In an environment of antisemitism, I will not be cowed by this.”
This isn’t the first time British police have treated visible Jewish identity as a “problem.”
In April 2024, Gideon Falter, head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was stopped while walking home from synagogue in London. An officer told him his “quite openly Jewish” appearance could “provoke a reaction.” The Met later apologized - but the damage was done.
The message received was unmistakable: being visibly Jewish in public is now treated as a liability.
Daniel Sugarman of the Board of Deputies of British Jews warned that many in the community “feel extremely disturbed” by weekly marches that include “deeply disturbing slogans and antisemitic signs.”
Even UK Interior Minister James Cleverly felt compelled to weigh in, saying: “No one should feel unsafe due to their religion.”
And yet, Jews in London increasingly do.
Commentator Katie Hopkins - who often skewers Britain’s excesses under the label “Bats**t Bonkers Britain” - didn’t need to invent this story. When a Star of David is treated as a police matter, Britain itself writes the headline.
This isn’t just about “maintaining order.” It’s about who gets to belong in public spaces. It’s about whose identity is treated as legitimate and whose is treated as a potential provocation.
When Jewish identity becomes something to be zoned, flagged or detained, it is no longer equal citizenship. (My late mother, a Brit who married my father during WWII, told me Jews were never considered equals, they were “Jews.”)
British protest laws have expanded over the past decade, giving police wide discretion to restrict or separate demonstrators. Those powers may have been intended for public safety. But in practice, they can easily morph into something else: policing identity.
The dangerous logic becomes: “If your symbol might upset someone else, you’re the problem.”
That turns the burden upside down. Instead of confronting those who threaten Jews, it places responsibility on the Jews themselves to disappear.
Already, British Jews report hiding mezuzahs, covering up jewelry, removing kippot, or avoiding certain areas of London altogether during protests. That isn’t “choice.” It’s fear - legitimized by state behavior.
It’s easy for Jews in Israel to view incidents like this as something “happening over there.” But history teaches us that when public Jewish identity becomes conditional in one Western democracy, it rarely stops there.
Antisemitism in Europe isn’t a theoretical risk - it’s a recurring pattern. Today it’s London. Tomorrow it could be Paris, Berlin, or New York.
So, what is the solution?
Clear guidelines: The Metropolitan Police must explicitly state that wearing religious or identity symbols - including the Star of David - is not grounds for suspicion or detention.
Training: Protest-policing units need training to prevent exactly this kind of discriminatory treatment.
Transparency: The police should explain how and why the symbol became part of the incident at all.
Community protection: The UK government must restore confidence to British Jews that they can express their identity in public without fear - whether walking home from synagogue or standing in a protest zone.
When a Star of David becomes a police concern, the issue isn’t just about one lawyer in London. It’s about the erosion of liberal democracy itself.
A society that treats Jewish symbols as “provocative” is one that has already begun to shift the burden from the perpetrators of hatred onto the targets of it.
Britain has long prided itself on pluralism and tolerance. But the moment a Jewish star is treated as a threat, those values ring hollow.
Katie Harris calls this “Bats**t Bonkers Britain.” I’d call it something even more serious: a warning sign for Jews everywhere.
Stephen M. Flatowis President of the Religious Zionists of America (RZA) He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995 and the author of A Father’s Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror. Note: The RZA is not affiliated with any American or Israeli political party.