London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Metropolitan Police were right to arrest people using language viewed as antisemitic, citing increased fear among Jewish residents in an interview with "Full Ridge and Frost" on Sky News on Monday.
The Met began arresting individuals using the phrase “globalize the intifada” in December. Khan said the language has had a direct impact on Jewish communities in London.
“Do you really want your neighbors who may be Jewish, your friends who may be Jewish, your colleagues who may be Jewish, being scared?” Khan said. He added that there has been “a heightened fear amongst Jewish people” over the past three years.
Khan said the issue was not limited to the offense. “It’s not simply causing offense. It’s causing people to cower and be scared to come into the centers of our city,” he said.
He said protests remain lawful if they are peaceful and safe, but urged people to avoid language that causes fear. Khan said there are other ways to express views about “what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The mayor said police face criticism whether they intervene or not and defended recent guidance from police leadership. “If somebody’s flirting with language that’s clearly antisemitic and almost definitely criminal, don’t do it,” he said.
Khan’s comments came as the Met released new figures showing 97 homicides in London last year, down from 109 the year before.
'One homicide is one death too many'
He said that while “one homicide is one death too many,” the figures marked progress. Khan said the data showed the lowest number of murders on a per capita basis since records began, the fewest under-25s killed this century, and the fewest teenage victims in three decades.
Khan attributed the decline to increased investment in policing, a public health approach to violence, and early intervention programs targeting young people.
He rejected claims that London is unsafe, saying critics have spread “distortion and untruths” on social media. Khan said London is “one of the safest, if not the safest, cities in the world, when it comes to homicide.”
The mayor acknowledged concerns about other crimes, including phone theft. He said police action against organized crime groups had contributed to reductions in personal robbery and theft, while calling on phone manufacturers to do more to prevent stolen phones from being resold.
Khan also addressed police funding, saying London had lost a third of its core grant from central government in recent years and that City Hall now funds a larger share of the police budget.
Asked about his political future, Khan declined to say whether he would seek another term, saying his last election was “nearer than my next one.”