Credit: Youtube/News Now Yorkshire
Police are investigating claims that a pro-Palestine activist openly chanted support for the banned terror group Hamas.
The man was filmed allegedly shouting “God Bless Hamas” as hundreds of pro-Palestine marchers in Leeds city centre on confronted a smaller group of Israel supporters last Saturday.
Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Israel Kills Children”, the man continued: “What about Hamas? They are a resistance group that fought back.”
In an apparent reference to the Oct 7 incursion by Hamas into southern Israel, which killed more than 1,200 Jews – the single largest death toll since the Holocaust – he added: “It was the biggest prison escape on earth.”
When a film crew pointed out that they heard him shout slogans in support of a proscribed terror group, which is illegal under current UK law, the man stated: “I said God bless the resistance. OK, God bless Hamas. Israel are terrorists, they kill children.”
The incident has prompted fears that support for extremism is being normalised in Britain.
The camera crew from News Now Yorkshire can be heard asking a nearby police officer whether the man should be arrested for expressing support for a banned group.
After reviewing the footage West Yorkshire Police has now launched an investigation into the incident.
The force told The Telegraph: “We are aware of footage circulating online following last Saturday’s demonstration in Leeds in which comments are made regarding a proscribed organisation.
“Following a thorough assessment of the footage, a criminal offence has been recorded in relation to those comments, and further enquiries are ongoing.”
Two-tier policing
The incident came moments before officers arrested a young man who had been chanting “Come on England” at the marchers, prompting claims that the different response to the two incidents represented “two-tier policing”.
The young man was held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, while a third man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a member of the emergency services.
The Leeds confrontations came a few days before British lawyers acting for Hamas applied to Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to overturn the ban imposed on it by the British government.
If she rejects the application, the case is likely to lead to an application for a judicial review.
Some commentators fear a protracted legal battle could further inhibit police from intervening in situations where support is being openly expressed for the terror group, whether through chanting, imagery or slogans on placards.
Three women who displayed images of paragliders during a central London protest were convicted in February last year of arousing suspicion they were supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Paragliders were used by Hamas to breach the Gaza-Israeli border on Oct 7.
But there have also been repeated claims that police have ignored pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic chants and slogans during the regular pro-Palestine marches around the country.
According to supporters of Israel these have included claims that the Jewish state is conducting a genocide in Gaza, comparing its actions to the Nazis and questioning its right to exist.
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The ludicrous legal attempt this week to overturn the proscription of Hamas is a worrying indication of the normalisation of extremism in Britain.
“The police must be a bulwark not a bystander against these dangerous trends on our streets. Police forces must clamp down on extremism; those that do not are failing their communities.”
Senior officers have defended their force’s handling of the protests.
After the Leeds confrontations, Supt Alan Travis, who commanded West Yorkshire Police’s operation, said: “Saturday’s demonstration took place peacefully with minimal disruption to the city, and just two arrests made.
“West Yorkshire Police is extremely experienced at managing demonstrations and always works to balance the rights of people wishing to exercise their right to lawfully protest with the rights of residents to go about their business.”
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