Scotland Yard investigating off-duty officer’s apparent involvement in altercation with journalists covering arson attack in Golders Green
A volunteer police officer is being investigated over claims he sought to intimidate Al Jazeera journalists who were covering a suspected antisemitic hate crime in north-west London on Monday, Scotland Yard has said.
David Soffer, who was off-duty at the time of his alleged involvement, has been referred to the Metropolitan police’s department of professional standards over his apparent involvement in the altercation between Golders Green residents and the TV journalists.
“We’re aware of the footage showing the verbal altercation between local residents and journalists. Freedom of the press is important and journalists must be able to do their job without being subject to intimidation or harassment,” the Met police said on Thursday.
“Officers did intervene, but we recognise that there was an extended period where the journalists were put in a difficult situation, which led them to leave the area.
