Police Arrest Blogger for Anti-Hamas Meme

A blogger has criticized British police after his arrest for sharing a meme on social media that read “f —Hamas.” Pete North, 47, returned home to Yorkshire on September 25th and recorded a police officer explaining the reason for his custody. The officer stated it was due to “posting something on the internet” that a member of the hate crime unit found inappropriate.

The video captured the officer mentioning that North was arrested “on suspicion of publishing or disseminating written material intended to stir up racial hatred.” The post in question, shared by North on X in August, included inflammatory remarks about Palestine, Hamas, and Islam. Interestingly, the interview at the station seemed focused mainly on the comments about Hamas.

North recalled the interaction with the officer during the questioning. “Well, let’s start with the meme. You posted a meme saying f—Hamas,” the officer noted. North defended himself, saying, “Hamas is an internationally banned terrorist organization, including the UK, so I posted a meme saying f — Hamas.” He mentioned asking the officer a question but received only a head shake in response.

During his time at the police station, North pressed the officers about whether they were aware of Hamas’ violent actions, including the murder of civilians on October 7th. After a few hours of questioning, he was released without charges.

North expressed his views, stating, “I strongly feel that political cartoons and memes posted on social media are not police business. No one should face police inquiries for posting a meme on Twitter.” He concluded, emphasizing that this situation should prompt people to reconsider sharing provocative memes, hinting at the fear it instills in individuals like him.

North Yorkshire police confirmed the arrest to local media.