Palestine Solidarity Campaign Director Accuses Gideon Falter Of ‘Trying To Disrupt’ Gaza March In Clash Over Met Police Confrontation

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, accused chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) Gideon Falter of attending a pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday with the aim of “disrupting” the protest.

Falter claims he was threatened with arrest at a pro-Palestine protest for being “openly Jewish” and potentially “antagonising” demonstrators. He was told by police that he could be arrested if he remained near a Gaza protest in central London.

After footage of the incident circulated online, the Met issued an apology, only to face further backlash and issue a second apology for suggesting that the presence of pro-Palestinian march opponents could be seen as provocative.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is facing calls to resign, with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Falter accusing him of encouraging antisemitism by not limiting the frequent protests in the city.

Speaking to Sky News’ host Kay Burley on Monday, Jamal said that Jewish people take part in the pro-Palestine demonstration but that people who disagree were welcome to counter protest but accused Falter of encouraging people to “seek the confrontation.” He said:

“Well, I don’t welcome people with his political views, but he’s welcome to counter-protest. He has a right to do that. And the police have a job of trying to manage the protest and the counter-protest. What Mr. Falter is trying to do, what he was trying to do on Saturday and what he’s now encouraging other people to do [now], is to come to the march to try to disrupt it, to try to stop it progressing. and to seek a confrontation. It’s very clear. People aren’t stupid. It’s very clear what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to provoke scenes of disorder.”

Falter, who was in the studio with Burley, described what he witnessed:

“We see people engaging in all sorts of anti-Semitic hatred, as I saw at that march then. And I didn’t see anybody from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s different stewarding teams. I didn’t see anybody saying, for example, the people shouting scum or disgusting or Nazis or anything of the sort at me. I didn’t see any of them being remonstrated with by their fellow marchers. And this is what we see week after week after week. And it is no wonder that Jewish people are increasingly feeling that they cannot come into the centre of town, that they cannot be in the vicinity of these marches. And unfortunately, as I found out, that’s true. It’s not just a suspicion. It’s not just a fear. It is absolutely true.”

Conversation fell apart after the pair clashed further on claims that Falter’s organisation attended the protests regularly.

Burley: “OK, Ben Jamal, right of reply?”

Jamal: “Well, I mean, first of all, I mean, the narrative is entirely untrue. I would invite your viewers to go and watch the entire video. They will see exactly what happened and Mr Falter’s organisation has come to try to disrupt every single…”

Falter: “No, I’m sorry, that’s not true. I have not been there at any of your demonstrations.”

Jamal: “I didn’t say you…”

Falter: “No, I’m sorry, this is not true. You also, I heard as I came on, I heard you saying all sorts of nonsense about what my views are. You do not know me, you do not know my views and I’m afraid to say I have not been at your marches. You’re trying to make out that this is something I do week in, week out. This is the first one of your marches that I have come across. What rubbish you talk, man.”

Jamal: “Can I speak without interruption for Mr Falter?”

Falter: “If you’d like to say something true.”

Jamal: “What I actually said was your organisation has been at each one of the marches. I didn’t say that you had been at each one of the marches. And I do know your views because you are the head of an organisation who is very clear about your views. And as I said, you have been widely criticised as an organisation for conflating anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism…”

Falter: “I’m sorry, you said, for example, that you started to talk about my views on Israel and things like that, things I have not spoken about publicly. So how can you possibly know my views? You make things up.”

Watch above on Sky News.

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