London’s Metropolitan Police has come under fire after a video emerged of a police officer telling a Jewish woman that swastikas seen at pro-Palestinian protests “should be viewed in context.”
A video widely shared online shows a London police officer suggesting that parading swastikas in public could be legal under certain circumstances, despite Britain’s strict regulations against so-called hate speech. It seems like it is.
In footage taken at a pro-Palestinian rally on Saturday, a police officer can be heard telling a Jewish woman: I know that the swastika was used at the beginning of the Nazi Party and when it was in power in Germany in 1934…I know that. ”
“So, under what circumstances is a swastika not disturbing public order? Can you please explain to me what symbols are not disturbing public order?” the woman asks.
“I’m not saying anything about that or not. You have to take everything in context,” the officer replied.
“I’m confused in what context a swastika is not anti-Semitic. That’s what I want to know,” the outraged woman retorted.
“Why isn’t a swastika immediately anti-Semitic? Why does it need context? This is what I’m confused about. This isn’t even about Israel. “Under what circumstances is this not destructive to public order?” she asked.
“I think some people don’t know how people feel about that sign. Now, if you came to me and you felt a ton of alarm and distress over a symbol that someone…” the officer said. answered.
The officer then told the woman that he had no intention of leaving the position and that it was not his responsibility to “walk down the street” to where the woman claimed the swastika was on display.
After the exchange was made public, the Metropolitan Police Department claimed that in the full conversation, the officer told the woman that the person in question had been arrested by another officer. A total of four people were reportedly arrested during Saturday’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
time @metpoliceuk A Hamas supporter holding a swastika sign refused to be arrested in London today, with one of the police officers telling a girl that whether the swastika was a breach of public order “depends on the situation”
If you are holding a swastika placard at an anti-Israel march, this is blatant anti-Semitism. come… pic.twitter.com/MjDNnHomnv
— Emily Schrader – امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) March 30, 2024
A spokesperson for the Met said: “Online video from today’s protest in central London shows a police officer and a woman confronting protesters who displayed offensive banners, including swastikas.” “I am aware that the footage shows an exchange of concerns.”
“The online clip is a short excerpt of a 10-minute conversation with a police officer. During the entire conversation, the officer stated that the person the woman was concerned about had already been arrested for a public order offense related to the placard. was proven.
“The officer then offered to arrange for another officer to accompany the woman to see if there were anyone else of interest among the protesters, but she refused to speak to her supervisor. After that, I turned my back and unfortunately left.
“We take hate crime and public order offenses very seriously and a number of people were arrested for hate crime, public order and terrorist offenses during today’s protests. We also take any other offenses found. We are currently collecting and evaluating evidence with a view to making further arrests.”
Nevertheless, the exchange has sparked a furious backlash, including from a campaign against anti-Semitism, which described the exchange as “absolutely disgusting”.
Campaign group spokesperson Said of daily mail: “The idea that a British police officer could imagine a context in which the Nazi swastika was an acceptable image to display in public is alarming enough, but anti-government What he is unsure of the meaning of in the context of an emotionally charged procession – Jewish rhetoric and signage is an indictment of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“This is not so much the fault of a lone police officer as the Met Secretary, Sir Mark Rowley, who bent over backwards to rationalize and ‘contextualize’ the chant of violent jihad and genocide.
“If Sir Mark disagrees with this officer’s assessment, he should come out and say so and explain what training he will provide to officers to ensure they understand that Nazism is evil. .
“But if he agrees that the swastika is context-dependent, then he must be grateful to the hundreds of thousands of Brits who gave their lives to prevent that vile symbol from being displayed on the streets of London. I want you to tell me that.”
London police declare call for jihad legal as word has ‘many meanings’https://t.co/hIe5gbAxxA
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 22, 2023
