Leading up to an anti-Israel protest in London, London’s Metropolitan Police warned protestors that they may be arrested if they supported terror groups.
Despite the warning, police appeared to be lax on the term “jihad,” defined as a “holy war” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
After a video emerged of protestors calling for jihad, the Metropolitan Police tweeted, “The word jihad has a number of meanings but we know the public will most commonly associate it with terrorism. We have specialist counter terrorism officers here in the operations room who have particular knowledge in this area.”
“They have assessed this video, filmed at the Hizb ut-Tahrir protest in central London today, and have not identified any offences arising from the specific clip,” the tweet continued, adding, “However, recognising the way language like this will be interpreted by the public and the divisive impact it will have, officers have identified the man involved and will be speaking to him shorty to discourage any repeat of similar chanting.”
The word jihad has a number of meanings but we know the public will most commonly associate it with terrorism. We have specialist counter terrorism officers here in the operations room who have particular knowledge in this area.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 21, 2023
They have assessed this video, filmed at the Hizb…
Despite claiming that no offenses were determined in the clip, London’s Metropolitan Police website considers “the offence of incitement to hatred” to occur “when someone acts in a way that is threatening and intended to stir up hatred.”
The statement has been widely criticized.
The United Kingdom’s Minister for Immigration Robert Jenrick told LBC radio that he believes “a lot of people would find the Metropolitan Police analysis surprising,” noting the government will review the police’s statement.
“I don’t think that there’s any place for chants of ‘jihad’ on the streets of Britain, I think that’s totally unacceptable,” Jenrick added.
Darren Grimes, a political commentator, tweeted, “Shouting ‘Jihad! Jihad! Jihad!’ won’t get you arrested in Britain, but telling a copper that they look like your lesbian nan as a teenager will see six officers pound your door down.”
Shouting "Jihad! Jihad! Jihad!" won't get you arrested in Britain, but telling a copper that they look like your lesbian nan as a teenager will see six officers pound your door down. https://t.co/9px5hwUWiJ
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) October 21, 2023
Grimes’ criticism comes as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken measures to prosecute “hate crime.”
A “hate crime” is “[a]ny criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person’s disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity or perceived transgender identity,” the government site reads.
