Dear [your representative] MP,

I am writing to convey my deep concern about the decision to allow a protest to take place outside Edgware United Synagogue last weekend.

Regardless of one's stance on Middle Eastern affairs, there is no excuse for permitting a large, hostile political demonstration directly outside a Jewish place of worship in the midst of one of the UK's largest Jewish communities.

For many local Jewish residents, the sight of an anti-Israel protest, escorted by police, through their neighbourhood and positioned outside a synagogue was profoundly intimidating. This left elderly congregants, families with children, and ordinary worshippers feeling anxious and unsafe in their own community.
At a time when antisemitic incidents have surged dramatically across the UK, including murder and arson, it is appalling that the authorities deemed it appropriate to facilitate a protest in such a sensitive location.

The right to protest is fundamental, but so too is the right of citizens to attend their place of worship without fear, intimidation, or harassment.
I am particularly concerned that significant police resources were deployed to escort and manage this demonstration. Taxpayers should reasonably expect those resources to be used to protect communities, not to enable protesters to gather immediately outside a synagogue, where the foreseeable consequence was distress and alarm among local Jewish residents.
The police had other options available to them. The demonstration could have been directed to an alternative location where protesters could have expressed their views without targeting a Jewish religious institution and the surrounding community. Instead, the decision taken sent a deeply troubling message to many local Jews: that their concerns, safety, and sense of belonging were considered secondary.

I therefore ask that you: 

• Formally challenge the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and relevant Borough Commanders to explain why this location was deemed appropriate for such a demonstration.
• Inquire about the assessment undertaken regarding the likely impact on Jewish worshippers, local residents, children, and elderly members of the community.
• Determine whether alternative locations were considered and, if so, why they were rejected. 
• Ask what steps were taken to ensure that Jewish residents could attend their place of worship without fear or intimidation.
• Seek clarification on whether the Met would permit equivalent demonstrations outside other faith institutions in circumstances where members of those communities would reasonably feel targeted.

I also ask that you seek a full review of the policing operation and publicly press for a change in policy so that synagogues and other places of worship are not used as focal points for highly contentious political demonstrations in the future.
The Metropolitan Police should not be facilitating protests in locations where the predictable outcome is fear, distress, and anxiety amongst a minority community. Jewish residents deserve a clear explanation as to how this situation was allowed to occur and what measures will be taken to ensure it is not repeated.

I look forward to your response. 

Yours sincerely,
[your name]
[your full address]