Met Police Officers Remove Posters of Israeli Hostages to Prevent ‘Escalation’

Undated photo showing the New Scotland Yard sign outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters in London. Kirsty O’Connor/PA Media

The Metropolitan Police has issued a statement to explain why officers took down posters of Israeli hostages after the action led to a social media backlash.

In a statement published on Monday, the Met said officers removed the posters, which were stuck on the shutters of a pharmacy, because of reported concerns about an escalation of conflicts.

It comes as the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is looking into the circumstances in which an officer was filmed taking down similar posters.

During surprise attacks on Oct. 7 that triggered the Israel–Hamas war, Hamas terrorists took more than 200 Israeli hostages, including children, as well as killing 1,400.

Pro-Israeli campaigners have been putting up posters of the hostages, calling for their release, but some of the posters have been torn down.

Images shared on Social media appealed to show two officers taking down the small posters from a shuttered chemist.

The Met confirmed that officers removed the posters on Saturday after the force received “at least two calls about it from local residents.

“They believed the posters were put on these specific shutters as a retaliation for comments about the conflict between Israel and Hamas that were made on social media by a person associated with the business,” the statement read.

“It appears print outs of those comments may also have been put up next to the posters.”

The Met said both people who called the police were “concerned that it would escalate an already tense situation.

“Officers went to the shop and acting in good faith they removed the posters in an effort to prevent any such escalation,” the statement reads.

The Met said it’s explaining the action because “the removal of these posters elsewhere in London has caused anger and upset in recent weeks.

“We know a photo of our officers doing the same will cause further concern, particularly for anyone not aware of the full facts reported to us at the time,” the force said.

The Met also said officers are assessing the content of the social media comments to identify any potential offences.

Adam Ma'anit, whose cousin Tsachi Idan was taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 after his 18-old-daughter Maayan Idan was shot dead, told the BBC, “Seeing police doing it, whatever the context, just made me feel even worse.

“There is no hate on those posters, they are just being used to highlight the plight of the hostages as the news cycle has long moved past the atrocities of Oct. 7,” he said.

Meanwhile, the GMP is probing why an officer removed posters of hostages from a wall in North Manchester.

In footage posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, a woman, who was presumably filming the police officer from the opposite side of the road, was heard shouting at the officer, “Why is the police taking this down? Excuse me.”

The GMP said it’s looking into the matter.

“We share concerns raised regarding the removal of posters in the North Manchester area and can confirm that an investigation is underway,” Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said in a statement posted on X.

“The action taken last night, in response to complaints, is contrary to guidance that the force had already issued to staff in relation to flyposting. We will continue to work with local authorities and the community to ensure posters can be displayed. We regret any offence caused,” he said.

Screenshot taken with permission from a video posted on X by Campaign Against Antisemitism showing Metropolitan Police officers at a billboard van displaying information of children taken hostage by the Hamas terrorist group, in central London on Oct. 18, 2023. Campaign Against Antisemitism/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

The incidents also came after Met officers told drivers hired by Campaign Against Antisemitism to turn off mobile billboards showing children kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 18 after the campaigners were confronted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Asked about the incident on Sunday, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told Sky’s “Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips” programme denied that the campaign was “shut down.”

“The officers were simply concerned that that driving round was going to collide with a pro-Palestinian protest which was just wrapping up,” he said.

“We were asking them to avoid a collision. We weren’t saying don’t drive that round, don’t protest. So all the time officers are doing fine judgments. It’s of things that aren’t illegal,” he said, adding that it’s about avoiding a conflict.