It has been confirmed that there is no evidence of deliberate assaults on poppy sellers, with one incident which hit the news this week, being put down to a small child.
This comes after a man selling poppies in Edinburgh train station, Jim Henderson, claimed he was set upon by pro-Palestine protestors, who kicked and punched him.
Assistant chief constable at the British Transport Police (BTP) posted a “message of reassurance” to poppy sellers in a video on X (formerly Twitter).
He said: “Misleading reports are circulating in the media which may have caused some poppy sellers to fear for their safety.
“I want to reassure everybody that I have no reason to believe that a poppy seller is at risk or has been intentionally targeted at a station.
“Extensive enquiries have been conducted using CCTV, body cameras and witness accounts. BTP senior detectives have found no evidence of a deliberate act of an assault against a poppy seller in Edinburgh this week.
“Those enquiries suggest a small child may be responsible for a minor foot injury and no criminal matters are being pursued regarding that.
“A man has been arrested by our officers for a hate crime offence in Edinburgh at the same time this week.
“I must stress, that offence is not related to the current crisis or tensions that are ongoing. That person has been charged by BTP and will appear at court in due course.
“BTP are working directly with senior leaders from Poppy Scotland and the Royal British Legion and we will continue to provide reassurance in the coming days with enhanced patrols on the railway and at stations.
“Now, we know that many organisations have charity collectors volunteering across railway stations. If any volunteer has any concern before or during a deployment, please contact us by text on 61016.
“Whatever the reason for your journey, whatever your destination in the coming days, please respect your fellow passengers and railway staff and, above all, stay safe.”
The investigation into the claimed attack on Jim Henderson at the weekend was dropped by BTP yesterday due to “insufficient evidence”.
