Police move weekly Swiss Cottage protest after pressure from Jewish community

After more than a year of disruption to the local Jewish community, the Met police have banned a weekly anti-Israel protest from its current location, following pressure from the JC and communal organisations.

The demonstration, organised by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), had been taking place every Friday in Swiss Cottage since October 2023, just metres from two synagogues.

Following the JC’s report and several rounds of impact statements, police have now imposed restrictions on the rally. From today, the demonstration must take place within a designated area in King’s Cross, away from the significant Jewish population near Swiss Cottage.

One Jewish mother said she “cried tears of relief”, and a local man said he looked forward to attending synagogue on Shabbat without being disturbed by the demonstration. 

The move from the Met comes after months of concern from the local Jewish community and hours of meetings with the Board of Deputies, Community Security Trust (CST), and pro-Israel activist group Stop the Hate.

Jewish residents described the protests as a form of “psychological torment”, citing the cumulative impact on their day-to-day lives. Some changed their route to synagogue on Shabbat, stopped going to shul entirely on Fridays, and changed the shops they went to ahead of Shabbat.

The demonstration was staged just minutes away from Belsize Square Synagogue, Chabad Lubavitch of West Hampstead and close to South Hampstead United Synagogue, as well as several local schools.

Protesters paraded large Palestinian flags along residential streets, and loudspeakers from the demonstration could be heard in surrounding areas. One mother told the JC: “It is intimidating and disruptive; they are promoting terror and calling for the destruction of a country.

“Their chants and posters are about Israel not existing. A lot of people, Jewish and non-Jewish, now avoid the area entirely.” Some of the posters called Zionists “mother and baby killers.”

The JC reviewed evidence of over 60 alleged criminal offences at the protests, including suspected racially aggravated public order offences, physical assault, and the expression of support for Hamas – a proscribed terror group under UK law. There were several arrests at the protest over alleged antisemitic speech and assault.

Camden Police coordinated several rounds of impact statement gathering, assessing the cumulative effect of the protests on locals, before announcing the new conditions under the Public Order Act on Thursday evening.

The area outside Kings Cross where IJAN protesters have been told to gather by the police on February 28 (Photo: Met)[Missing Credit]

Vice president of the Board, Andrew Gilbert, thanked the police for their work.

“In the end, the cumulative impact really made the point. Whilst it has taken a lot of time from many campaigners, police experts, community leaders and lawyers, this is a good and sensible outcome,” Gilbert said.

One local mother said: “Thank you to Stop the Hate, the JC, the Board and everyone who worked so hard to restore peace to our residential neighbourhood.”

Adrian Cohen, a senior vice president at the Board, could see the protest from his kitchen window and told the JC: “It is with great relief that common sense has prevailed. This isn’t about the right to protest. They can continue to do so elsewhere. It is about the right of communities and residents to be able to live their lives without constant noise and disruption and for many Jewish residents in particularly what has felt like a targeted protest every Erev Shabbat.”

Superintendent Jack Rowlands, responsible for the policing operation across Camden and Islington, said: “We have imposed conditions under the Public Order Act on when and where this protest can take place. I would ask anyone attending to make themselves aware of these conditions as to breach them, or to incite others to do so, is a criminal offence.

“Our role is to ensure all those exercising their right to protest can do so without incident and without causing serious disruption to the lives of the wider community.”

The decision follows similar restrictions imposed on a rally in Whitehall on January 18, when police blocked protesters from marching from Portland Place – near the BBC headquarters – due to its proximity to Central Synagogue on Shabbat.

That day saw 77 arrests, with more than 60 arrests over protesters allegedly breaching police conditions.

Gilbert said the measures taken in Swiss Cottage and Whitehall underscored the need to protect places of worship during religious services. “Whether it is a synagogue, mosque, or church, people cannot disrupt religious worship,” he stated.

A spokesperson for the Met said: “The static protest in Finchley Road, at the junction of Eton Avenue, has been taking place on a weekly basis on Fridays since October 2023.

“From Friday February 28, the protest organised by IJAN must take place within a designated area in Kings Cross.” 

“The decision to impose these conditions has been made with a view to minimising serious disruption to the community in the Swiss Cottage area.

 “Any person participating in the IJAN protest must remain in the area shaded on the attached map outside Kings Cross Station on the pavement between the bus stop and pedestrian crossing. The assembly must finish by 7.30pm.

“Officers will be in attendance, and we would encourage people to speak to them if they have concerns. They are there to ensure everyone is kept safe,” the police said.

The JC understands there will be police presence in Swiss Cottage this Friday to enforce the new restrictions.