On August 29, 2025, outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington, London, a Jewish lawyer was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers after attending a pro-Palestine demonstration while wearing a Star of David necklace. The incident, which has since ignited fierce debate about religious freedom, policing, and antisemitism in the United Kingdom, has drawn condemnation from Jewish leaders, Israeli officials, and civil liberties advocates alike.
According to reports from The Telegraph and GB News, the lawyer, a man in his 40s and founder of the Society of Independent Legal Observers (Silo), had arrived at the protest with the intention of monitoring for unlawful behavior by demonstrators and scrutinizing police conduct. He wore a small, 2-centimeter Star of David pendant around his neck—a symbol of his Jewish identity. What followed was an encounter that has come to symbolize, for many, the growing anxieties about the treatment of visible Jewish identity in public spaces across Britain.
Footage obtained by The Telegraph shows a detective confronting the man, stating, "The officers have noted in their statement that they believe that because the Star of David was out and present to people, which may take either offence to the presence of it, they felt that was antagonising the situation." The lawyer responded sharply, telling The Telegraph, "It is outrageous that police should claim wearing a star of David somehow antagonises people. When it was first raised in the police interview, it rang alarm bells for me immediately. Police crossed the line." He described the arrest as an effort to "criminalize the wearing of a Star of David," and insisted, "In an environment of antisemitism, I will not be cowed by this. I will carry on wearing it."
The lawyer was handcuffed at around 7 p.m. and transported to Hammersmith police station, where he was held in custody for nearly ten hours before being released at 4:30 a.m. the following morning. He remains on police bail more than six weeks after the arrest, as investigations continue.
The Metropolitan Police, for their part, have vigorously denied that the arrest was due to the Star of David necklace. In statements posted on X (formerly Twitter) and shared with multiple news outlets, the force said, "We understand the concerns raised, but the claim this man was arrested for wearing a star of David necklace is not true. He was arrested for allegedly repeatedly breaching Public Order Act conditions that were in place to keep opposing protest groups apart." Police allege that the lawyer, who identified himself as an independent legal observer, repeatedly approached the area designated for pro-Palestinian protesters, getting "very close" to them to film and "provoking a reaction." According to police accounts, officers intervened at least four times to ask the man to return to the area assigned to the pro-Israel group, Stop The Hate. After multiple warnings, they arrested him for breaching the conditions of the Public Order Act. The investigation is ongoing.
Despite these explanations, the lawyer and his supporters remain unconvinced. He told The Telegraph that he had documented about thirty cases of criminal behavior by protesters, including antisemitic insults such as "Zionist baby killer," none of which resulted in prosecution. "Police are arguing that wearing a Star of David is antagonizing to protesters while we have seen all manner of antisemitic slogans on placards and shouted at Jews that have gone unpunished," he said. The lawyer described the arrest as a clear example of "two-tier policing," suggesting that visible Jewish identity is treated as a provocation while open antisemitism is ignored.
The case has drawn international attention, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemning the incident as a "moral disgrace." Sa’ar posted on X, "The Star of David is a symbol of Jewish identity, not provocation. The fact that Jews are warned in central London not to display it publicly shows how rampant antisemitism spread through hateful ‘pro-Palestinian’ marches in Britain has poisoned the streets." He called on British authorities to "ban antisemitic slogans and conduct a full institutional review."
Jewish community leaders in the UK have also voiced alarm. Gary Mond, chairman of the National Jewish Assembly, told JNS, "The detainment of a man wearing a Star of David sends a truly frightening message, not just to Britain’s Jews but also its Christians. A symbol displaying a belief in God is now deemed intolerable because it might offend others with different beliefs or none at all." Mond went further, arguing, "This shows how our government and our woke left-wing culture deride, trample on and ultimately wish to extinguish Jews and Jewish life in Britain. And G-d fearing Christians will be next."
For many, the incident has become emblematic of a broader pattern. Last year, Gideon Falter, head of the UK-based Campaign Against Antisemitism, was prevented by police from crossing a street during an anti-Israel protest. An officer told Falter, "This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything, but I am worried about the reaction to your presence," as reported by JNS. The Board of Deputies of British Jews responded to that episode by criticizing the Metropolitan Police for a "series of high-profile errors in their responses to these demonstrations."
The lawyer at the center of the latest controversy insists he was acting in good faith as an independent legal observer, a role he has embraced as a founder of Silo. The organization was created earlier this year to monitor the growing wave of anti-Israel protests in the UK. Yet police, citing his repeated proximity to the pro-Palestinian group Ijan and his actions "beyond observing to provoking," classified him as an active participant in the protest, subjecting him to Public Order Act restrictions.
Amid the uproar, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has launched "Report It," a secure app designed to allow users to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. The initiative is part of a wider effort by Jewish organizations to document and combat hate crimes that, they argue, are too often overlooked or dismissed by authorities.
As the debate continues, the case has become a litmus test for the balance between public order and individual freedoms in a multicultural society. The questions it raises—about equal treatment under the law, the meaning of religious liberty, and the boundaries of protest—are unlikely to fade soon. For now, the lawyer’s experience stands as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Jews in Britain who wish to express their identity openly, and of the scrutiny facing the institutions meant to protect them.
