‘Your star will set them off’: Police tell Jewish man his star 'triggers' pro-Palestinian crowd

A Jewish man was advised to hide his Star of David necklace by Scottish police to avoid being a “trigger” for pro-Palestinian protesters marching through Edinburgh in Scotland on February 4 in a recorded incident that has now gone viral.

In the video, the Jewish man is silently recording the pro-Palestinian protest when an officer noticed his Jewish clothing. The Jewish man asserted that he was not committing any crimes, to which the officer responded: “If people will see your star, which I appreciate that you [redacted], then they will just get very, very angry.

“I am just making you aware that might trigger the people because, obviously, I understand that you are sitting on different sides of the fence; that is my only concern. 

At a rally in Edinburgh, a @PoliceScotland officer asked a Jewish bystander to hide his Star of David, to avoid “triggering” the protesters.The police officer is clearly worried that he and his colleagues are heavily outnumbered and that these protesters could pose a threat to… pic.twitter.com/kI8As7KNCm

— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) February 14, 2024

“That your star will set them off and they’ll cause an argument.”

While the officer claims that the Jewish man sits on “different sides of the fence” to the protesters, the footage shows no indication that the man is wearing pro-Israel clothing. 

The officer continued to warn the man that there were only 3 officers present and that it would be difficult for them to manage the situation.

The Jewish man continued to promise the officer that he had no plans to argue or engage with any of the protesters, and continued to defend his right to wear his Jewish Star of David necklace. 

“It is my religion, I am Jewish so I don’t see a problem with showing my Judaism,” the man told the officer. 

Continuing the conversation, the officer said that while the man had a right to display his beliefs, the symbol of Judaism “triggers them [the protesters]” and that the man could “put himself into a dangerous situation.”

The officer proceeded to ask the man if he minded hiding his star behind his jumper, to which the man asserted “I do [mind] actually, yes…If someone is triggered then I think they need to learn how to control their emotions.”

The interaction ended with the officer warning that there were over 1000 protesters and that he should “look after himself” while travelling through the city.

Reactions to the incident

Commenting on the incident, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote on X “At a rally in Edinburgh, a @PoliceScotland officer asked a Jewish bystander to hide his Star of David, to avoid “triggering” the protesters.

“The police officer is clearly worried that he and his colleagues are heavily outnumbered and that these protesters could pose a threat to Jews, but his response was effectively to stop a passing Jewish man and ask him to hide his identity before continuing on his way.

“Whose rights are actually being protected here, those of law-abiding people or those of mobs of extremists who might be “triggered” by people being Jewish in public?”

Gary Mond, Chairman of the UK's National Jewish Assembly, told the Jerusalem Post "Of all the recent horrendous incidents which have caused the Jewish community in the UK to be fearful, this one is a milestone for two reasons. First, it is now clear that it is not safe for Jews to demonstrate their religion in public. Second, we have reached the point where the police are too timid to protect the Jewish community.

"The expression "Jews don't count", referred to increasingly frequently, has now been shown to be spot on. The police need to be properly trained to do their jobs and, if necessary, have their resources substantially increased."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the video and the contents are being reviewed.”

Antisemitism and pro-Palestinian activism in the UK

In the UK, weekly pro-Palestinian demonstrations have become a contentious issue, with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman describing them as “hate marches.”

The protests have seen antisemitic placards being displayed, registered terrorist organizations being supported openly, and a number of individuals have been arrested for carrying weapons and launching fireworks toward police. 

Antisemitism has also dramatically increased in the United Kingdom, with some figures showing that antisemitic hate crimes have increased 1350% since Hamas launched its October 7 terrorist attack against Israel.