On Saturday, September 7th, two protestors unveiled a banner bearing the slogan “Hamas is terrorist” in front of one of London’s regular “pro-Palestine” demonstrations. Although this slogan represents the official position of the British government, the duo were separated and both campaigners were detained and charged separately (The European Conservative).
Mark Birbeck, a co-founder of Our Fight, an organisation which campaigns in support of Israel, was released on Sunday morning. His bail conditions are stringent, including him not contacting co-demonstrator Niyak Ghorbanii, not attending Middle East-focused protests for three months, and not entering the City of Westminster borough in London during any protests related to Israel.
What’s more, Birbeck left Wood Green police station facing Orwellian ‘pre-charges’ based on the possibility he is likely to break his bail conditions in future.
Speaking to The European Conservative, Birkbeck said: “It’s incredible that despite Hamas being a proscribed organisation, pointing it out has such an impact. But we know why; whether you are David Lammy or Ben Jamal or Jeremy Corbyn or a marcher calling for a ceasefire, it spoils your narrative to be reminded that Hamas started this war, executes hostages in tunnels under Gaza, and wants to destroy the only Jewish state. And that’s of course why myself, Niyak and many others will continue to shout about this.”
In October 2023, then-Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland criticised London’s Metropolitan Police for its response to anti-Israel protests, including initial celebrations of the October 7th pogrom staged before any Israeli response. Buckland stated: “The police must step in and enforce the law”.
Almost one year on, the Met’s assistant commissioner Matt Twist has conceded that mistakes were made, creating a perception of ‘two-tier policing’ on London’s streets.
Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, tweeted:
“We live in a country where you can hold up a sign saying that Jews control politics but be arrested for holding a sign saying that Hamas is a terrorist organisation (which is simply stating the law of the land) because it offends people.”
Many argue that this two-tier approach is not just confined to policing. Indeed, licence-fee payers are unlikely to find the UK national broadcaster covering these arrests. Using artificial intelligence, content analysis and a dedicated research team, the Asserson Report has identified a total of 1,553 breaches of BBC editorial guidelines related to The Israel-Hamas War. These breaches include issues of impartiality, accuracy, editorial values, and public interest, on both BBC English language news and its Arabic language service.
One example of this is that, since October 7th last year, Hamas has featured more often in BBC reporting as an organisation running a health ministry than as a proscribed terrorist group.
Worth reading in full.
