Jewish protester charged with ‘racial harassment' over anti-Hezbollah sign
A Jewish man was arrested and charged with 'racially aggravated harassment' after holding a placard at a counter-demonstration depicting a Hezbollah leader.
The British man attended a Stop the Hate counter-protest against a pro-Palestine march in Swiss Cottage, north-west London, on September 20 last year when he held a placard featuring a drawing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah holding a pager to his face, with the words 'beep, beep, beep', the Telegraph reported.
The cartoon made reference to a September 2024 Israeli attack nicknamed Operation Grim Beeper, in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, a proscribed terror group in the UK, detonated simultaneously, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands.
The Telegraph published police interview footage in which an officer asked the counter-protester: 'Do you think that showing this image to persons protesting who are clearly pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel that by doing so would stir up racial hatred further than it is already?'
The man's lawyer then asked: 'Are you saying that there were pro-Hezbollah people there? Because it is a proscribed terrorist organisation.'
The protester was later charged under the Public Order Act of causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress by words or writing.
The man, who was not named, told the newspaper: 'It beggars belief that police could think that this placard may be offensive to supporters of Hezbollah.
'If there are Hezbollah supporters at these marches, then why weren't charges brought against them for terrorist offences, rather than me being charged for holding a sign that can only be construed as political satire?
'The Met Police are still completely out of their depth when it comes to policing the anti-Israel hate marches we've seen on our streets week in, week out since the October 7 attacks,' he added.
The man further told The Telegraph police officers searched his home in an attempt to find the placard, which he claimed was not his.
He described how two police vans and six officers arrived to conduct the search, which he said was 'invasive' and 'totally ridiculous'.
But eight months later, on May 10, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case, saying there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, according to The Telegraph.
The Met Police said on Friday the officer who interviewed the protester 'clearly misspoke' when she described the pro-Palestine demonstrators as 'pro-Hezbollah', adding they will 'reflect on the CPS decision' to drop the case.
A spokesperson for the force 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.'
The spokesperson added: '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.'
The CPS has been contacted for comment.
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