Officers of London’s Metropolitan Police have come under criticism after tearing down posters of Israeli civilians kidnapped by Hamas as the Met has insisted that they tore down the posters to avoid tensions within the community.
The incident took place in Edgware in Northern London, which has a large Jewish community. Video footage showed two officers removing the posters that had been placed on the shutters of a local shop.
The Met released a statement on Tuesday, October 31st defending the actions of the officers saying:
We recognise why people are concerned and want an explanation. Below is what we know about what led to the officers doing what they did.
The posters were put up late on Saturday night. We received at least two calls about it from local residents.
They believed the posters were put on these specific shutters as a retaliation for comments about the conflict between Israel and Hamas that were made on social media by a person associated with the business.
It appears print outs of those comments may also have been put up next to the posters.
Both people who reported the posters to us were concerned that it would escalate an already tense situation. Officers went to the shop and acting in good faith they removed the posters in an effort to prevent any such escalation.
Scotland Yard said they did not wish to restrict the rights of people to protest but added, “we do have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to stop issues escalating and to avoid any further increase in community tension. On this occasion, that is what officers were trying to do.”
According to a report from the Daily Mail, the posters were placed on a chemist whose CEO had retweeted comments labelling Israel and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) as “filthy animals”, although he later deleted the posts and apologised.
Police have come under heavy criticism for tearing down the posters, including from Adam Ma’anit, whose cousin, 18-year-old Maayan was one of those massacred by Hamas on October 7th. Ma’anit said,
We want to remind people that children, elderly, disabled, even babies are being held hostage by Hamas. Those who tear the posters down are silencing one of the only ways we’ve been able to keep their plight fresh in the minds of people. They are silencing our suffering and pain. For the police to be party to that is deeply distressing.
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism also spoke out on the police actions saying:
The very same day that central London again became a no-go zone for Jews, how is it that the Met Police thinks tearing down posters of abducted children while allowing people to call for ”Jihad” and ”Intifada” is the right approach to easing communal tensions?
This is not the first time in this period that the police have gone after images of children taken captive by Hamas while turning a blind eye to extremists with barely disguised sympathy for terrorism. It is hard not to see a double standard at play here.
Similar scenes were seen in Manchester this week as police in the city announced they would be launching an investigation into reports of an officer tearing down Israeli hostage posters on Bury Road in Prestwich after the incident was caught on video.
Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry explained that while there was a complaint regarding the posters,
The action taken last night, in response to complaints, is contrary to guidance that the force had already issued to staff in relation to flyposting. We will continue to work with local authorities and the community to ensure posters can be displayed. We regret any offence caused.
Greater Manchester Police’s chief constable Stephen Watson later admitted the officer had “got it wrong” by tearing down the posters but claimed there had been no ill intent behind his actions.
“There were a series of complaints about the posters and the PCSO, under instruction, removed the posters so there’s nothing malicious in the intent of the officer. We have responded badly to a complaint and I think we’ve got it wrong,” he said.
Since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war that began on October 7th with the massacre of over 1,400 civilians by Hamas terrorists, the UK has seen several large-scale demonstrations in support of Palestine and Hamas, which is registered as a terrorist group in the UK.
Last weekend, tens of thousands took to the streets of London in a pro-Palestine rally. Nine people were arrested, several related to suspected hate crimes.
The hatred displayed toward Israel and toward Jews more generally in the UK since the start of the conflict, has led some in the Jewish community to express fear regarding the surge of antisemitic incidents in the last three weeks.
Justin Cohen, news editor and co-publisher of Jewish News, stated that many Jews are concerned about the growing levels of antisemitism saying,
If people who are so boiling over with rage in these demos see Jewish people as inextricably linked with Israel, they will inevitably target those Jewish people. The fears are never-ending at this point.
Cohen noted the calls at some protests for “Intifada” or uprising, saying, “We’ve seen calls for an intifada where, in the past, suicide bombings have targeted civilians, in cafes and restaurants and in nightclubs. Whether it’s one person saying this stuff or 10 or 10,000, the chilling effect on British Jews is the same.”
