Police have arrested a man on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after yesterday’s pro-Palestine demonstrations in Whitehall.
Saturday’s demonstrations saw thousands take to the streets of the capital, a fortnight after the Hamas terror attack on Israel, after which Israel has launched multiple air strikes on Gaza.
The Metropolitan Police last night tweeted a photograph of an individual waving a flag in central London.
It commented: “Yesterday this man was filmed shouting racist abuse in Whitehall.
“Tonight he is in custody having been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
“Thanks to those who shared our appeal for information.”
The arrest came as Suella Braverman urged Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley to use the “full force of the law” after video emerged of a pro-Palestinian protester chanting “jihad”.
Suella Braverman will hold talks with Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley today after officers said no offences were identified in the footage from the demonstration in central London over the weekend.
The Home Secretary will further make clear the police should “crack down on anyone breaking the law” amid concern over footage from a demonstration by the Hizb ut-Tahrir fundamentalist group, which was separate to the main rally.
A video posted on social media shows a man speaking into a microphone in front of a banner reading “Muslim Armies! Rescue the People of Palestine”.
The main speaker asks: “What is the solution to liberate people from the concentration camp called Palestine?”
A man standing to the side of the speaker, but neither on a platform nor speaking into the microphone, can then be heard chanting words including “jihad”, as can some others attending the protest.
The Met has pointed out that jihad has “a number of meanings”, and said that specialist counter-terrorism officers had not identified any offences arising from the specific clip.
Instead, officers spoke to the man to “discourage any repeat of similar chanting”.
However, Home Office minister Robert Jenrick said chanting the word on the streets of the capital is “inciting terrorist violence”.
Ms Braverman will further use her scheduled meeting to discuss protests surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict to ask Sir Mark for “an explanation over the response to incidents” on Saturday.
A source close to Ms Braverman stressed: “There can be no place for incitement to hatred or violence on Britain’s streets and, as the Home Secretary has made clear, the police are urged to crack down on anyone breaking the law.”
Her Cabinet colleague, Mark Harper, said that the footage from the weekend was “disturbing”.
A police statement said specialist Crown Prosecution Service lawyers had agreed no offence could be identified in the footage from the Hizb ut-Tahrir protest.
A statement issued by the force explained: “The word has a number of meanings but we know the public will most commonly associate it with terrorism.
“However, recognising the way language like this will be interpreted by the public and the divisive impact it will have, officers identified the man involved and spoke to him to discourage any repeat of similar chanting.”
Between October 1 and October 18, the Met saw 218 anti-Semitic offences compared to 15 in the same period last year. Similarly we saw an increase in Islamophobic offences from 42, to 101.
These represent percentage rises of 1,353 per cent and 140 per cent respectively.
