Police are unable to stop an anti-Jewish rally scheduled for a holy day in one of London’s biggest Jewish communities.
Far-right groups are planning the event in Golders Green on a Saturday – the Jewish Sabbath – in July.
But if the demo is static then Scotland Yard has no power to prevent it.
Police said they were “speaking to the organiser of the protest to understand what their plans are,” but could not disclose who the organiser was or how large the rally was expected to be.
The demo has been linked to a badly-attended rally opposing the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch group in Stamford Hill on April 18.
A video of that event, organised by breakaway fascist Eddy Stamton, concludes with the announcement: “The next demo against the Shomrim ‘police’ will be in Golders Green very soon.”
Simon Johnson, chief exec of the Jewish Leadership Council, told the Standard the Council was “aware” of the July 4 plans.
“It’s explicitly anti-Semitic,” he said. “It follows a smaller demo in Stamford Hill a few weeks ago that was quite pathetic and largely ignored – but the difficulty is this one has the potential to really intimidate the community.
“The one in Stamford Hill had about 30 people. It could be that this one has a similar, small, pathetic number – but it might not because they’re generating some publicity.
“The location is inflammatory. The nature of it is neo-Nazi and intimidatory. We sincerely hope the Jewish community isn’t going to be intimidated by this.
Mr Johnson added: “If this demonstration does intend to be 100 per cent entirely peaceful, then they have their right, but that’s not what we have seen before.
“Let’s look at the fact they’re doing it in Golders Green – a largely Jewish area – on the Jewish Sabbath, and calling it an “anti-Jewification” demonstration. That looks to me as if it’s very close to incitement of racial hatred, so we’re planning accordingly for it.”
Far-right group Britain First denied any involvement. A spokesman told the Standard: “It’s absolutely nothing to do with us.”
Scotland Yard’s Ch Supt Adrian Usher said: “We are aware of a static protest being planned for July 4 in Barnet. Officers are speaking to the organiser of the protest to understand what their plans are.”
Police do not have the legal power to ban a static protest, a Met spokeswoman added, and must balance people’s “right to protest” with “the rights of all those impacted by the protest”.
“We carefully assess the intelligence and information available to us about every protest in the capital to allow us to put in place the most appropriate policing operation,” she added.
“Disorder, crime and incitement to hatred will not be tolerated.”
Source: Evening Standard