Man Arrested After Criticizing Palestinian Flags in London

A police officer making notes on Oct. 22, 2014. Joe Giddens/PA

A man has been arrested after he posted a video on social media criticizing Palestinian flags that had been hung in a London street.

The Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested on Tuesday night and remained in custody at an east London police station as of Wednesday afternoon.

It comes after Tower Hamlets Council and Transport for London (TfL) said they were removing “unauthorised” Palestinian flags put out in the area.

In a video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, one of the arresting officers was heard telling the man that he had been witnessed saying things such as “why are they over here?” and “we let them into the country” at 10:04 a.m. on Bethnal Green road on Oct. 17.

The officer was also heard mentioning “... by means of bail conditions imposed that you do not attend any event involved with Palestine.”

Filming Palestinian flags flying on lampposts and a restaurant, a man is heard saying: “This is the kind of [expletive] that we’re dealing with. ... This is the kind of nonsense we’re dealing with in Bethnal Green. You let them into the country and this is the [expletive] they come up with.”

In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, the Met said: “We are aware of a video circulating on social media that shows the arrest of a man on suspicion of a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offence.

“An initial arrest enquiry was previously made at the address. However, nobody was home and arrest enquiries were conducted at the later time of 21:55 hrs on Tuesday, 31 October when the arrest was made,” the statement said.

“The arrested man was taken to an east London police station where he remains at this time,” the Met said. “More than 1,000 officers are providing high visibility patrols across London—particularly where we know communities feel vulnerable.”

The Met has not confirmed whether or not the arrest was made over the video, or whether the man was considered in breach of any previously imposed bail conditions.

Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 outlaws threatening, abusive, or disorderly words or behaviour that can be heard or seen and would likely cause harassment, alarm, or distress. Those who are found guilty may face a fine of up to £1,000.

Flags Removed

Last week, Tower Hamlets Council and TfL, which is responsible for the roads, said they were removing the Palestinian flags found on many lamp posts on Bow Road and Bethnal Green Road.

The Met, which received reports of the flags, said flying the Palestinian flag alone doesn’t “constitute a criminal offence,” in a statement to the BBC, adding: “There are some situations where the presence of a flag or banner or the use of specific words or phrases could be seen as intimidation.

“In some circumstances, it could also be seen as intending to cause harassment, alarm, or distress,” the Met said.

It comes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman suggested waving a Palestinian flag “may not be legitimate” when it’s “intended to glorify acts of terrorism.”

Met officers contacted TfL and Tower Hamlets council on Monday.

TfL said it was “swiftly” removing “unauthorised flags found to be attached to TfL infrastructure.”

TfL added that infrastructure needs to be “safe and clear of unauthorised objects,” the BBC said.

The report also said Tower Hamlets Council was removing the flags, with a spokesperson saying, “While we appreciate people want to express their support for Palestine, we have a routine responsibility to monitor and maintain council infrastructure.”

The Israel–Hamas war, which broke out on Oct. 7, has also strained racial tensions in the UK. According to the Met, the force received 218 anti-Semitic allegations and 101 Islamophobic allegations between Oct. 1 and Oct. 18, compared to 15 and 42 during the same period last year.