- David Soffer was suspended after being identified in footage verbally abusing Al Jazeera journalists in London.
- The incident followed an alleged arson attack on jewish-run ambulances in the area, which the journalists were attempting to report on.
Special Constable David Soffer was at the front of a mob that surrounded Al Jazeera journalists and a film crew reporting an alleged arson attack last week. He was suspended after being identified in the film footage that went viral.
Soffer, 34, was seen approaching one of the Al Jazeera journalists, who is Palestinian, and calling him a “dog” and a “donkey” in Arabic. “Go back to Qatar,” he was heard saying. And, “Get out of here, you donkey.”
In the aftermath, a group of men were filmed surrounding and intimidating an Al Jazeera film crew near the scene.
In its initial statement last week, the Met Police said: “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.
“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. Officers on duty in the area have been asked to be alert to any similar altercations in the coming days.”
After Soffer’s involvement was revealed, he immediately deleted the volunteer police role from his LinkedIn account.
Today, a Met Police spokesperson said: “An investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards into the actions of an off duty Met Special Constable is ongoing.
“On Saturday evening, following an assessment carried out as part of that investigation, the officer was suspended.”
The police force also confirmed last week that it would “review” footage of the incident to determine whether any other offences were committed by those involved. No updates have yet been provided. The incident took place in the Golders Green area of London, as Al Jazeera reported on the arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances.
