'Prejudiced policing’: Jewish man charged over placard mocking late Hezbollah leader

A Jewish man who was arrested and charged with a public order offence after holding what he claims was a satirical sign mocking the late leader of Hezbollah has spoken out about his ordeal, describing months of anxiety that the case would go to trial.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was detained by police, held overnight, and had police officers search his fiancée's underwear drawer when they searched his home, despite only holding the placard for less than three minutes during a pro-Israel counter-protest in Swiss Cottage last September.

Referencing Israel’s Operation Grim Beeper, the cartoon on the sign depicted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah alongside a pager and the words “beep, beep, beep” – a nod to the campaign targeting terrorists using their handheld communication devices. The image was apparently intended as satire, but the man was charged under the Public Order Act for allegedly causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment.

As first reported in the Telegraph, the man denied intending to incite racial hatred or insult or distress supporters of the banned terrorist group and told officers that the sign was “political satire”.

“I was surprised by how anxious I became,” he told the JC. “It was distressing for my family. I genuinely thought it would end up in court.”

The placard appeared to mock the terror leader with a reference to the deadly pager attack[Missing Credit]

The charges were eventually dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service just weeks before the scheduled trial date, citing insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

During his police interrogation, the man was apparently questioned about whether the Nasrallah cartoon might offend “pro-Hezbollah” activists present at the protest. Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and, as such, inviting support for it is a criminal offence.

The Metropolitan Police later acknowledged that the officer conducting the interview had “misspoken” by referring to protesters as pro-Hezbollah rather than pro-Palestinian.

Despite the man stating that the sign was not his and had only been handed to him momentarily, officers reportedly searched his home. “It deeply affected my fiancée who was home at the time. It was invasive and horrible having officers go through her lingerie drawer.”

The man was arrested a week after the protest when he returned to the same location. He was taken to a North London police station, where he was held overnight before being released at 6.30am. He was later charged under public order legislation in what his lawyer called an “appalling” abuse of process.

“It was appalling that he was even arrested let alone charged and had to go through the ordeal of having his home searched and then being taken in a police van to the police station and locked up,” said Paul Harris, the man’s solicitor. “Many will see this incident and others as evidence of there being inconsistency and unfairness in how the protestors are dealt with on each side.

“However what is of greater concern is that the police's lawyers, the Crown Prosecution Service, recommended a charge in these circumstances when it was clear that there was no realistic prospect of conviction and nor was it in the public interest,” Harris said.

On September 20, the same day the man held the sign, a pro-Palestinian activist was filmed at the same location shouting “I love the 7th of October” and “I like any organisation that starts with H” – comments widely interpreted as support for Hamas and the Hamas-led massacre of Israelis on that date in 2023.

He was arrested and a file on that case was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, but prosecutors twice declined to pursue charges.

Since the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, there was a regular weekly anti-Israel protest in Swiss Cottage on Fridays. Jewish locals told the JC of the toll the weekly demonstration, and pro-Israel advocacy group Stop the Hate as well as the Board of Deputies led counter-protests. Under recently imposed police conditions, anti-Israel demonstrators are not permitted to gather in that location on Friday afternoons; the Met say the conditions are continually under review.

The placard holder – who has helped to organise speakers at the Swiss Cottage counter-demonstration – was holding white roses as part of a Holocaust remembrance talk that was due to take place when he was detained on September 27.

He was arrested shortly after he arrived at the demonstration. “I was shocked and anxious – I had never been arrested in my life – and I was angry [because] I thought it was utterly ridiculous that they had arrested me.”

He explained that he has attended dozens of counter-protests at Swiss Cottage and added: “I have seen a huge amount of vitriol, hate and inappropriate behaviour. Whenever we pointed it out to the police, they completely ignored us or would argue.”

On the day he held the Nasrallah sign, he claimed he saw two female counter-protesters across the road and was worried about them: “I thought I should stand with the two women because I could see the other [pro-Palestine] protesters were going towards where they were standing.

“As I crossed the road, someone handed me a sign. I didn’t give it a second thought. I didn’t really look at it, I just saw it had Nasrallah on it... My main concern was to stand next to the ladies.”

Although he did not look closely at the sign, which he carried for a few seconds, in hindsight he said “it was funny”.

“Anything that is thought-provoking and can make people think about those they are supporting is not a bad thing,” he added. The protest was just a few weeks after the pager attack that saw 42 people killed, including many Hezbollah terrorists.

On the evening of his arrest, the man was apparently due to go out for Shabbat dinner with family visiting from Australia. Instead, he spent the night in a cell. Afterwards, strict bail conditions were imposed which saw him forbidden from driving down Finchley Road on a Friday afternoon.

“This meant I could not drive to collect my elderly mother for dinner on Friday night or to see people nearby.” Eventually, the conditions were altered to allow him to drive along the road – but not to get out of the car.

He had been expecting to go to court on June 17 until the charges were dropped on May 10.

He claims his arrest was “an explicit example of the attitude and prejudice that exists in the way the police deal with protests and counter-protests. If they arrest someone from the other side, they get far more aggravation. There are far more of them, and they [the police] don’t want to provoke them,” the man went on.

“The natural assumption is that we are doing something wrong," he added.

Responding to the JC’s enquiry, a Met Police spokesperson said: “The decision to charge was taken following a careful consideration of the evidence. We will reflect on the CPS decision not to proceed with the case, applying any learning to future investigations.

“The officer who carried out the interview clearly misspoke when she described those in the protest as pro-Hezbollah instead of pro-Palestinian.

“We take support for proscribed organisations very seriously. Since October 2023, we have made 28 arrests under the Terrorism Act for offences at protests including wearing clothing or displaying symbols that indicated support for such groups, including Hezbollah. This is in addition to the hundreds of arrests made for other offences.”

In relation to the video of a man referring to October 7 and “an organisation beginning with H,” a Met spokesperson added: “A 27-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, 21 September – the day after he was filmed making comments at a protest in Swiss Cottage.

“In January, a file of evidence was sent to the CPS who have twice determined that no further action should be taken, first when the file was initially received and again after we appealed that decision.

“Our discussions with the CPS on this matter continue and we will ensure all available avenues to challenge the decision not to bring charges are pursued.”

When asked about allegations of “two-tier policing,” the force said: “The weekly protests at Swiss Cottage have often been hostile, confrontational and challenging to police.

“We police without fear or favour. It isn’t our role to take a side or to consider one group as more or less legitimate than the other.

“It is because we recognise the strength of feeling generated by the protests that we've been in regular discussions with community groups in the local area, including many representing the Jewish community, throughout. It is important that we understand the concerns raised and react to them effectively.

“In recent months we have imposed conditions on at least ten occasions to ensure the IJAN protest cannot take place in or near Swiss Cottage. We’ve done so acknowledging the cumulative impact of protest in the heart of the same community for a prolonged period since the protests began and to prevent further serious disruption.

“We continue to keep our approach, including the use of conditions, under review.”