A Metropolitan Police officer has been identified among a group of British Jews filmed aggressively confronting journalists from Al Jazeera during a street incident in London.
The officer, who is a Special Constable, was seen swearing at reporters and taking part in what has been described as an intimidation mob targeting the media crew.
The revelation was first reported by investigative outlet Declassified UK, which identified the officer after reviewing footage and cross-checking public records.
The footage in question shows a group of individuals surrounding Al Jazeera journalists who were reporting near the scene of an arson attack in London.
The journalists can be seen and heard being verbally abused, including being called “a donkey” and “a dog” and subjected to hostile shouting by an off-duty Metropolitan Police Special Constable, later identified as David Soffer.
He was positioned at the front of the crowd during the confrontation, appearing to take an active role in the aggressive exchange.
The presence of an on-duty or serving police officer in such behaviour has raised concern about potential breaches of professional standards..
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Background
Special Constables are volunteer officers who hold the same powers as regular police officers when on duty.
This has intensified scrutiny of how someone in a policing role could be involved in behaviour widely seen as threatening toward journalists.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that a serving officer, who was off duty at the time, was present during the incident.
They added: “We are aware that an off duty serving Met officer was involved in the altercation. The matter has been referred to the Department of Professional Standards for assessment.”
The officer is now under scrutiny and could face internal disciplinary measures.
His association with the police has already been removed from his LinkedIn profile.
Police have also indicated that the available footage will be examined to determine whether any criminal offences took place, and whether further action is required against those involved.
Separately, in 2024, far-right activist Tommy Robinson shared a post on Twitter stating: “Fuck Palestine”, adding: “The shithole is full of inbred Islamist parasites and terrorists.”
Soffer replied to the post, writing that Robinson “is telling the truth” and that Israel will “justly finish” the war in Gaza.
Al-Jazeera shut down
Al Jazeera journalists have frequently faced hostility during coverage of demonstrations and politically charged incidents in the UK.
Israel’s move to shut down Al Jazeera was a major escalation in its long-running campaign against the network, which it has repeatedly accused of bias without presenting consistent evidence.
Israeli officials have claimed the outlet poses a security threat, while critics argue the ban is aimed at silencing one of the few international broadcasters providing sustained coverage from Gaza.
The network has strongly rejected these accusations, describing them as politically motivated attempts to discredit its reporting and intimidate its journalists.
These efforts to undermine Al Jazeera have often been accompanied by serious allegations against its reporters, including claims that some were linked to proscribed groups.
The consequences have been devastating. The war on Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history, with Israeli forces responsible for the majority of media worker deaths globally in 2025.
Committee to Protect Journalists found that at least 86 journalists were killed by Israeli fire that year alone, most of them Palestinians reporting from Gaza.
