Jewish protester is charged over briefly holding up placard mocking TERRORIST leader
A Jewish protester has revealed he was arrested and charged for holding up a placard which mocked a terrorist leader.
The man, who spoke to The Telegraph anonymously, said he was detained last September over the cartoon showing the former secretary-general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah with a pager and the words 'beep, beep, beep'.
He held the sign up during a counter-demonstration against a pro-Palestinian march.
It was in reference to an attack by Israel in Lebanon, known as Operation Grim Beeper, in which pagers and walkie-talkies with explosives hidden inside.
The attack killed 42 people, including Hezbollah terrorists and 12 civilians, and injured a futher 4,000 civilians.
Nasrallah survived Operation Grim Beeper but was murdered in an air strike just a week later.
Police repeatedly questioned the British man if he thought the cartoon would offend 'clearly pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel' protesters.
On Friday, the Met Police told The Telegraph the officer 'clearly misspoke when she described those in the protest as pro-Hezbollah instead of pro-Palestinian'.
A Met Police spokesperson said: 'A man was charged following a careful consideration of the evidence. We will reflect on the CPS decision not to proceed with the case, applying any learning to future investigations.
'The officer who interviewed the man clearly misspoke when she described those in the protest as pro-Hezbollah instead of pro-Palestinian.
'We take support for proscribed organisations very seriously. Since October 2023, we have made 28 arrests under the Terrorism Act for offences at protests including wearing clothing or displaying symbols that indicated support for such groups, including Hezbollah. This is in addition to the hundreds of arrests made for other offences.'
It comes after pro-Palestinians marching through Piccadilly Circus last week clashed with a smaller counter-protest, organised by the group Stop The Hate.
Separated by barriers, the two groups hurled insults such as 'scum' at each other and were seen making rude gestures.
Palestine supporting protesters paraded banners reading 'stop arming Israel' while chanting 'from the River to the Sea', as pro-Israelis screamed 'terrorist supporters off our streets'.
Some verbal clashes boiled over into pushing and shoving, with the police forced to intervene.
Hundreds of Metropolitan Police officers were present in central London after the force imposed conditions under the Public Order Act denying participants in both protests from assembling before 12pm or veering away from the pre-planned route.
Meanwhile, police were told to 'spend their time catching actual criminals' earlier this month after a retired constable was handcuffed by his former force over a social media post warning about the threat of anti-Semitism in Britain.
Julian Foulkes, from Gillingham, was detained at his home by six officers from Kent Police - the very same force he had given ten years of his life to - after he questioned a supporter of pro-Palestine demonstrations on X.
In the context of a rise in protests at the start of the Israel-Hamas war - and reports of an anti-Semitic mob storming a Russian airport - Mr Foulkes tweeted an activist: 'One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…'
'Shocked' and 'flabbergasted', Mr Foulkes was later handcuffed on his own doorstep by uniformed officers equipped with batons and pepper spray.
Kent Police has since apologised for the 'distress' caused to one of their former colleagues.
Condemning the arrest of Mr Foulkes, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said last night: 'Arresting a 71 year old man and holding him for hours in a police cell over a tweet that was obviously not criminal is completely unacceptable.
'The Police should spend their time catching actual criminals, not policing offence on Twitter.'
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told police to 'spend their time catching actual criminals', while columnist Allison Pearson, who was quizzed by police over a social media post herself, described it as 'Stasi Britain'
Meanwhile, there were also two incidents last November where writers were questioned by police over their social media posts.
One of those was Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson, who was investigated over a tweet she had posted, and then quickly deleted, a year prior in November 2023.
Ms Pearson revealed officers from Essex Police knocked on her door on Remembrance Day last November to inform her that she was at the centre of a probe over allegedly stirring up racial hatred on social media.
However, they could not give her any details about what post was being investigated or who complained. Essex Police dropped its investigation after the force was advised by Crown Prosecution Service lawyers that it's case failed to meet the evidential test.
'I was obviously shocked and devastated in the first place to have had the police on my doorstep on Remembrance Sunday, of all days, telling me I had put something up on social media which they said was stirring up racial hatred,' she told the Mail at the time.
Ms Pearson has also reacted to the arrest of Mr Foulkes, posting: 'Police are out of control. In Stasi Britain, Julian Foulkes, a retired police officer, was handcuffed, home searched, because he tweeted his concern about anti-Semitism.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wildfire action call made by MP as moorland burns in Peak District
A call was made for the risk of wildfires in places like the Peak District to be discussed in Parliament at the same time as a fire had broken Pearce raised the issue in the House of Commons on Thursday after a number of recent the High Peak MP was stood up in London to address the need for a debate, in his constituency eight fire crews from Derbyshire, South and West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester were descending on a wildfire at Black Ashop Moor near Snake Road, government said it would provide an update in due course. Labour MP Pearce said: "Although many of us are enjoying the hot, dry weather, it does increase the risk of wildfires - in the past month alone, firefighters have been called to 20 wildfires in the Peak District."These include a major incident in Goyt Valley which shut roads, destroyed 800 acres and took days to bring under Peak Borough Council has since approved an order for public areas of the Peak District within its borders, giving powers to police and council officers "to reduce the risk of wildfires".It has banned lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and sky lanterns, and carrying items which officers think will be used to do so, with fines of up to £100. Pearce continued: "All too often, these fires are started by the irresponsible use of disposable barbecues."Locally, we are doing everything we can to prevent this. I have written to all local supermarkets asking them not to sell disposable barbecues."Will the Leader of the House hold a debate in Government time on how we reduce the risk of wildfires in our national parks?"In response, Leader of the House Lucy Powell MP said the "irresponsible use of disposable barbecues" leads to "devastating consequences", adding: "Local authorities have existing powers to apply controls to restrict or ban the use of such barbecues in certain areas, but I will ensure that he gets an update on how we can take this further".
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
What happens now after Guernsey's general election?
The votes have been counted, the posters are coming down and we now know the 38 next members of Guernsey's new government. So what comes next? New deputies will first elect the presidents and members of States committees, deciding who is responsible for what in a series of secret bidding to lead committees will make their pitch for the job in the States chamber and respond to questions from will then write their preferred choice on a piece of paper, which will be collected and counted by parliamentary officials. What are Guernsey's committees and what do they do? Guernsey's system of government is made up of one senior committee, principal committees and several other committee boards, authorities and committees include the new Committee for Housing, which the current States voted to introduce for the next political term. It takes over the responsibility for housing which is currently divided between three different other committees include:Policy & Resources (P&R), which is responsible for public finances and co-ordinating policy across the StatesEconomic Development, which promotes business, handles regulation and air and sea linksEducation, Sport & Culture, which looks after schools, heritage and museums, arts, and sporting and civic eventsEmployment & Social Security, which administers benefits such as pensions and income supportEnvironment & Infrastructure, which manages waste policy, roads, coastal defences, renewable energy, agriculture and public transportHealth & Social Care, which delivers medical services from emergencies to welfare and support for children and adultsHome Affairs, which oversees the courts and crime, immigration and population, and emergency planningOther boards include the States Assembly and Constitution Committee, Overseas Aids & Development, Scrutiny Management, Transport Licensing and the States Trading Supervisory Board (STSB), which oversees the ports and public companies such as the dairy and the States' next meeting on 15 July, members will debate the accounts for 2024, which have not been fully published the outgoing president of P&R has announced the States spent £44m more than it brought in last year. When will the committees be chosen? On 1 July the president of P&R, the most senior committee in the States will be chosen, after members are sworn in as deputies at the same next day the four other members of P&R will be elected, with anyone able to stand from the floor of the Friday 4 July elections will take place for the presidents of each of the principal committees, alongside bodies such as the Development and Planning the weekend, the 38 deputies and two Alderney Representatives, who make up the States of Deliberation, will return to elect who sits on each of those committees. What happens to outgoing deputies? The 2025 election is the first one where deputies will receive one month's basic salary if they fail to be re-elected following a review of States members pay in eight deputies who have decided to stand down from their posts will not receive the who have not been re-elected will continue their duties until 1 July when the new deputies are sworn into office.
BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Race to become next Guernsey chief minister begins
The race to become Guernsey's top politician is under way, with deputies announcing their intention to chief minister Jonathan Le Tocq has said he would be willing to run for president of the Policy and Resources Committee (P&R) "to offer a degree of stability".Several candidates told the BBC they backed Le Tocq because of his experience in the role and ability to "bring people together".Deputy Mark Helyar said before the election campaign he would seek the top job, with the aim of controlling States spending, while Deputy Charles Parkinson confirmed he would make a tilt to advocate for a change to the island's corporate tax policy. Le Tocq said: "The culture needs to change right at the beginning of this term, I think I will do my best to try and work a coalition together of all types of people." Helyar became the vice-president of P&R in November 2022 after Deputy Heidi Soulsby resigned from the resigned ahead of a successful vote of no confidence in the committee in 2023. While expressing an intention to run before the election, Helyar did not answer when asked by the BBC on Friday whether he was still planning to vote of no confidence in P&R was led by Deputy Charles Parkinson, who finished third in the polls with 9,294 votes and said he felt he had a mandate to stand for for P&R president. Last year the States agreed a package of tax reforms including a 5% GST, a lower rate of income tax for earnings under £30,000 and reforms to social security contributions. Whether elected to P&R or not, Parkinson has said he would look to challenge the policy and attempt to get more money from local companies through reform to the coporate tax regime. Outgoing chief minister Lyndon Trott warned against changing the island's zero-10 regime, which means some companies pay no corporation tax and others pay 10%. Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez topped the polls with more than 10,000 votes, but she has not commented on whether she would stand for P&R Yvonne Burford, who came second in the polls, has said she wanted to be on P&R, but not as its the other possible contenders, 2020 poll-topper Deputy Gavin St Pier stood for P&R president, but lost out to Deputy Peter Ferbrache in Guernsey leader St Pier has already done the job between 2016 and 2020, but has not said whether he would seek it again, leaving the door open. After a short time on the Health and Social Care Committee (HSC) previously, some deputies the BBC has spoken suggested may seek a role as its has also been interest in that position from its vice-president Marc Leadbeater and deputy-elect Dr George Oswald.
