“A third of Britons” wear a keffiyeh, a policeman has claimed.

The Met Police officer told attendees of a vigil for Israeli victims of Hamas last weekend, that the traditional scarf from Palestine, typically used as a headdress, was worn by “around 30 per cent of people in the UK”.

During an event on Sept 7 at the Israeli embassy to mark 11 months to the day since the Hamas terror attack, one attendee objected to the presence of a man they believed was a pro-Palestinian protester because he was wearing a keffiyeh.

In video obtained by The Telegraph, the attendee filming a discussion with police said: “Tell him to walk away, you didn’t see me going to the pro-Palestinian rallies, did you?”

The officer replied: “There’s a lot more of him than there is of you, alright?”

A second attendee at the vigil proceeded to note there was an exclusion zone for a pro-Palestinian march taking place in central London at the same time.

‘He’s observing, he’s not doing anything’

“It’s only one person here, I don’t know if he’s part of any group or not,” the policeman said. “How do I know he’s part of a group? How do I know he’s part of a group?”

One of the vigil participants replied “look what he’s wearing”, to which the policeman said: “Are you aware that that is worn by around 30 per cent of people around the UK anyway? Are you aware of it?”

Two people not part of the vigil said the man was part of a “keffiyeh march”, suggesting he had been part of the pro-Palestinian protest that took place on the same day.

“He’s observing your demo, that’s it, he’s standing and observing you,” the policeman said. Insisting that it was his “opinion” almost one in three people wear a keffiyeh, before he added: “He’s observing, he’s not doing anything.”

The video cuts out seconds after a second policeman tells the group that they cannot film the officers, with one attendee of the vigil saying “I can film what I like”.

Pro-Palestinian marches have taken place on an almost weekly basis in central London since the October 7 attack and the subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Many activists have worn the keffiyeh during these demonstrations, as well as at university encampments set up earlier this year.

Met sources stressed that the exchange appeared to refer to a single protester, rather than a wider group of activists.

The Met Police said officers were aware of the video and working to establish the full details.