The Metropolitan Police has come under heavy criticism for arresting a man holding a placard calling Hamas a “terrorist” organization during a pro-Palestinian protest in the British capital on Saturday.
Iranian-born Niyak Ghorbani, 38, who lives in London, was arrested by police while holding a placard that read “Hamas is terrorists” during a recent anti-Israel rally in the city. It was done.
Footage posted on social media showed police dragging counter-protesters to the ground while shouting “Shame on you!” He added: “I wrote that Hamas is a terrorist organization…but they arrested me.”
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨Very important, please share:
A man holding a “Hamas is terrorist” sign is arrested by police and dragged to the floor. This one is also completely handcuffed.
incredible scene pic.twitter.com/ZBLCbeDHOK
— Inc.Monocle (@IncMonocle) March 9, 2024
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the arrest was not motivated by the message on the sign, but rather by the assault. However, there was footage that appeared to show Mr Ghorbani being assaulted by a pro-Palestinian mob surrounding him.
talk to telegraph paperGhorbani Said“They attacked me from behind and hit me on the head. They pushed me away and said Hamas is the protector of Palestine.”
“The police destroyed my sign and said they were arresting me because I harassed someone at a protest.
“Someone who supported Hamas attacked me and I defended myself, so they arrested me. Ten minutes later, a friend showed me the video of what I was doing and asked them to let me go. I did.
“The person who attacked me was not arrested.”
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Here you can clearly see the person in question holding up a sign that says “Hamas is terrorists”… and being attacked by protesters.
The police will arrest him!!
Throw him to the floor and handcuff him.
of @metpoliceuk where is my mind@RishSunak Where are you! ?
— Inc.Monocle (@IncMonocle) March 9, 2024
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “The man was arrested after an argument ensued and officers intervened to prevent a breach of the peace.” He was arrested on suspicion of assault.
“Officers subsequently thoroughly reviewed the footage of the incident provided and he was subsequently released from arrest. The arrest was not made in connection with the placard.”
Police in London responded to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests following the October 7 terrorist attack in which Hamas massacred around 1,200 people in Israel and captured hundreds more. It is frequently criticized for appearing to have double standards. .
For example, police arrested dozens of counter-protesters despite taking “precautionary” measures to prevent “alleged breaches of the peace,” meaning no crime had been committed. In some cases, there appears to be a reluctance to enforce laws against counter-protests. Palestinian protesters.
Brexit leader Nigel Farage comments on latest example of obvious bias in Met newspaper Said: “We surrender the streets. The authorities we pay to protect us are going after the wrong people.”
Mr Farage continued: suggest In response to a community note posted on X claiming that Mr Ghorbani’s arrest may have been illegal, police said they may have “a problem on their hands”.
Meanwhile, conservative activist group Turning Point UK Said He said the incident showed the Met was “no longer fit for purpose”, adding: “You live up to the name of the police force.”
Policing in two stages: More than 80 Brits made preventative arrests ahead of pro-Palestinian Armistice Day protestshttps://t.co/sDftKNKZ5Z
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 11, 2023
