Mayor’s Office shrugs off complaint about Met Police Nakba Day decisions
JVL Introduction
One of our readers read out article Formal complaint made about Met chief over Nakba demonstration smears and it encouraged her to make her own complaint. We reproduce here the response she received from MOPAC (Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime).
The reply accepts that the fear expressed by some London Jews is real, as do we, but goes further and expresses the strong belief that the fear is justified by the actions of people voicing their opposition to Israel’s genocide.
It is concerning that public authorities appear to act as though the right of people to oppose crimes against humanity is less important than the right of people who seem less troubled by these atrocities not to be disturbed. The better reaction by the Police and the Mayor would be to be vocal in their condemnation of the genocide and careful and patient in explaining that these protests do not threaten the safety of any Londoners. They should cease amplifying the voices of those who spread alarm by encouraging their communities to feel unnecessarily threatened. Perversely they are damaging the ability of those they claim to represent to enjoy their lives. There is no connection between the marches and the Golders Green stabbings.
Then we can collectively attempt to deal with the conditions which provoke real antisemitic outrages like that in Golders Green.
MC
I made a complaint to Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) about the issues raised in our article Formal complaint made about Met chief over Nakba demonstration smears and the reply was was follows –
Dear Natasha,
Re: Your complaint against the MPS Commissioner
Thank you for your complaint submission against the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.
I am sorry to hear your concerns about the MPS Commissioner’s comments in a written interview, published online in The Times, and made during a live interview on Good Morning Britain, broadcast on ITV 1, on 1st May 2026.
At the outset, I would like to apologise on behalf of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) for the delay in progressing your correspondence.
Your complaint raises concerns regarding the conduct of the MPS Commissioner. Specifically, you express dissatisfaction with statements made by the MPS Commissioner on 1st May 2026 concerning pro-Palestinian protests, including comments suggesting that organisers intended to route marches past synagogues and the inferences drawn from this, as reported in the media.
MOPAC is the Appropriate Authority for complaints against the MPS Commissioner and is responsible for assessing how to deal with such a complaint. In doing so, I have considered the Police complaint legislation, which specifies who can make a complaint, and states that the complainant must be a member of the public who:
(a) claims to be the person in relation to whom the conduct took place;
(b) claims to have been adversely affected by the conduct;
(c) claims to have witnessed the conduct; or
(d) is acting on behalf of someone who satisfies one of the above three categories above.
A person cannot be regarded as a complainant solely on the basis of claiming to be adversely affected where they have only seen or heard about the conduct, or its alleged effects, without experiencing a direct personal impact. While you have clearly expressed dissatisfaction regarding the MPS Commissioner’s conduct, I do not consider that you have been directly affected by the matters described. As such, you do not meet the eligibility criteria to raise a complaint. For these reasons, your complaint is not eligible to be treated as a formal complaint against the MPS Commissioner.
The MPS Commissioner’s statements of 1 May 2026 were made in the context of a serious incident in Golders Green on 29 April 2026, during which two men were stabbed (this was in addition to another man who had been stabbed by the same assailant to whom he was known earlier in the day). This occurred against a broader backdrop of a sustained campaign of arson attacks targeting Jewish Londoners in recent months, alongside a significant rise in hate crime, particularly antisemitism. These developments have heightened fear within Jewish communities. The MPS Commissioner has emphasised that MPS policing plans reflect this context, including the assertive use of police powers and the imposition of strict conditions on protests where necessary.
While I acknowledge your concerns regarding the MPS Commissioner’s views on the routing of protests, it is important to recognise that his comments followed sustained attacks on Jewish communities and an increase in the national terrorism threat level to “severe”, indicating that an attack is highly likely. In response to this evolving risk environment, the MPS has adopted a firmer and more explicit stance in addressing hate crime affecting all communities.
In addition, a statement published by the Metropolitan Police Service on the social media platform, X, on the 4 May 2026, clarified the Commissioner’s comments to make it clear that in his view, these actions “could send a message to Jewish communities which feels like antisemitism”. The clarification also acknowledged that this “may or may not be a fair inference, but the strength of feeling from those communities makes clear that for many, it is the message it sends”.
The MPS Commissioner has made clear that it is the duty of police officers to protect all communities, while remaining firmly committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest. He also expects officers to adopt a robust, proactive, and interventionist approach wherever any community experiences heightened fear or intimidation, or where hatred is being incited, including instances of both racial and religious hatred.
I hope you can appreciate the significant challenges faced by policing in balancing an intensified focus on public safety with the need to ensure that all decisions remain proportionate, appropriate, and grounded in operational necessity.
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.
Yours sincerely,
MOPAC Professional Standards Team| Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime
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