Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has warned that the “river to the sea” chant may “be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased”.
She has asked police to consider whether its use in certain circumstances may constitute an offence, but the force faced criticism for taking a contrary view.
A senior Tory expressed disbelief at Mr Malik’s role, saying it raised “serious questions”.
The senior Tory said: “Does the Met really want to be seen to be associated with people who are chanting what are demonstrably anti-Semitic slogans?”
Mr Malik is a criminal defence solicitor based in Luton, who has attended previous pro-Palestinian protests as a “legal observer” and has uploaded videos to social media advising thousands of followers of their rights at protests in recent weeks.
He has appeared on the television programme 24 Hours in Police Custody, when he became known for advising clients of their legal right to state “no comment”.
He has been involved in a series of legal cases against police forces, including the Metropolitan Police. He has also repeatedly called for Prevent, the Government’s counter-extremism scheme, to be scrapped.
The Metropolitan Police declined to give details of any advice that Mr Malik might have provided in recent weeks. But his presence in the Lambeth operations room is likely to cause particular concern, given that the Metropolitan Police had said that it was in that room that its officers were making decisions about whether particular behaviour is illegal.
Online profiles state that he is a former chairman of the Luton branch of Momentum, the hard-Left group that propelled Jeremy Corbyn into the Labour leadership.
Luton protest
A video uncovered by this newspaper shows Mr Malik addressing a protest in Luton against an earlier Israeli offensive in Gaza in May 2021.
On the steps of Luton Town Hall, holding a microphone, Mr Malik stated: “We go on BBC, ITV, do we see any of this? No we don’t.
“You watch Sky News, do we see this? No. Even on social media what we’re seeing is the posts are going up on Insta, LinkedIn, Facebook, they’re getting deleted.
“What’s going on is global censorship by the Zionists, global censorship to silence us.”
He ended his address by instigating chants of “from the river to the sea”, encouraging those at the rally to respond with “Palestine will be free”.
His past criticisms of the police include stating “typical despicable behaviour by @metpoliceuk” over its handling of a vigil for the murdered Londoner Sarah Everard in March 2021.
In June 2020, he dismissed concerns about a female mounted police officer who was injured after the horse she was riding bolted and collided with a traffic light during unrest at anti-racism protests in London.
He stated: “Dismay about a police horse bolting and the police rider getting knocked of it by hitting a traffic light, why put police horses in that situation in the first place in the middle of a peaceful protest!”
A dedicated page on the Metropolitan Police website states that: “The London Muslim Communities Forum is a strategic advisory body for the Met; it brings together representatives from London’s diverse Muslim communities and senior police officers with the aim of addressing issues raised by the Muslim community and working together to provide a strategic response.”
None of its members are named.
On Oct 11, a statement by the LMCF, which was tweeted by Mr Kozbar and reposted by Mr Malik, threatened legal action if there was any attempt to ban “pro-Palestinian protests and the use of a Palestinian flag”.
Following arrests ahead of the King’s Coronation, Mr Malik wrote: “Sunak and his cronies are attempting to steamroller through a new phase of state oppression.”
Met Police response
Ade Adelekan, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We talk to people from all backgrounds to ensure we understand the effect of policing on their communities.
“As part of this work, the Met supports and works with a number of advisory groups.
“It may be the case that members of these groups have views we do not endorse. Often they are strongly held. They may also be critical of the Met and policing.
“We do not take instructions from advisory groups or anyone else and we will always maintain our operational independence.
“It is right that we listen to those we serve to build a better Met.”
It is understood that representatives of other faiths were present in the operations room at the same time as Mr Malik.
Mr Malik did not respond to questions.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
