Jewish protester charged over placard mocking terrorist leader

From the Telegraph

A Jewish protester was arrested by the Metropolitan Police after he briefly held a placard satirising a Hezbollah terrorist leader, The Telegraph can reveal.

The British man, who has asked to remain anonymous for his safety, was detained and charged last September over a cartoon that showed Hassan Nasrallah, the Lebanese terror chief, with a pager and the words “beep, beep, beep”.

The placard satirised a targeted Israeli attack, dubbed Operation Grim Beeper, in which explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies killed 42 people, mostly Hezbollah terrorists. Nasrallah survived, but was killed in an air strike a week later.

During questioning, police repeatedly asked the man – who was part of a counter-demonstration against a pro-Palestinian march – if he believed the image would offend “clearly pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel” activists.

Hezbollah is a terror group, which is proscribed in the UK.

The man’s case is the latest in a string of heavy-handed police responses to lawful expression.

The man in the latest case held the placard for less than three minutes during the demonstration in Swiss Cottage, north-west London, on Sept 20.

The area, near the home of Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador, has been targeted almost weekly by pro-Palestinian activists since the October 7 massacre.

On Sept 20, a pro-Palestine demonstrator was filmed in the area shouting “I love the 7th of October” and “I like any organisation that starts with H”. He was arrested under terrorism legislation, but was not charged.

The Jewish man was part of a counter-demonstration organised by Stop the Hate UK, a multi-faith group. He was arrested a week later when he returned to the same location for another demonstration on Sept 27.

Before detaining him overnight at Islington police station, officers searched his home in a failed attempt to find the placard, which the man had already explained was not his.

The counter-protester denied intending to incite racial hatred or insult or distress supporters of the proscribed Lebanese terror group, telling the investigating officer the sign was “political satire”.

He was released at 6.30am and later charged under the Public Order Act for causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress by words or writing.

On May 10 – eight months after his ordeal began – the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case, saying there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

In an exclusive interview, the man described the ordeal as “distressing” for him and his family.

(A) spokesman (for the Metropolitan police) said that the man “was charged following a careful consideration of the evidence” and that the force would attempt to learn lessons from the episode.”We will reflect on the CPS decision not to proceed with the case, applying any learning to future investigations.”

The pro-Palestinian demonstrator filmed shouting “I love the 7th of October” on Sept 20 was arrested by the Met under terrorism legislation. He was not charged, despite Scotland Yard twice submitting a file of evidence to the CPS, the second time after appealing against a decision not to pursue the case.

A Met spokesman told The Telegraph that discussions with the CPS regarding the case were continuing, adding that “we will ensure all available avenues to challenge the decision not to bring charges are pursued”.

After the CPS became aware of The Telegraph’s imminent publication of the story, it issued a statement to say it was “urgently reviewing” its decision-making in the case of the pro-Palestinian protester.