The Metropolitan Police has distanced itself from a pageant accused of providing a platform to audio system who’ve defended the Oct 7 Hamas assaults on Israel.
The power is known to have informed organisers of subsequent weekend’s International Peace and Unity (GPU) Competition to take away its identify as a “supporting accomplice” of the occasion.
It adopted complaints from Coverage Alternate, the centre-right suppose tank, that by associating with the pageant, the Met risked compromising its impartiality as a police power.
Stephen Timms, a senior Labour MP, has additionally withdrawn as a speaker from the pageant after being informed it could host Zwelivelile Mandela who has praised leaders of Hamas and described Oct 7 as an act of resistance.
Mr Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, is believed to be now not concerned within the occasion though his identify continues to be on GPU’s web site.
After being knowledgeable by The Telegraph of its billing on the GPU web site, a Met Police spokesman mentioned: “The MPS shouldn’t be a supporting accomplice and isn’t contributing financially to the occasion.”
Logos of the Met Police and its Affiliation of Muslim Police had been eliminated by Saturday morning as “supporting companions” of the occasion.
Final month, the HM Inspectorate of Police warned that forces risked accusations of bias except new nationwide steering was issued to set out when and the way they may assist neighborhood occasions by completely different teams.
In a report on the GPU occasion, Coverage Alternate mentioned it could be “deeply unwise” to explicitly assist the pageant simply two weeks after the anniversary of the Oct 7 attack. “The Met have to be seen to be neutral in its usually fraught position policing the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London,” it mentioned.
Forward of subsequent weekend’s occasion, GPU organisers have issued a warning to individuals to not voice assist for banned teams like Hamas.
“Please be reminded that below English legislation, selling or endorsing proscribed organisations is unlawful and can lead to prosecution, each for the speaker and the organisers,” they mentioned of their steering for audio system.
“Whereas we encourage open discourse, and the aim of the GPU Competition is to advertise justice as a path in direction of peace and unity amongst numerous communities within the UK and internationally, please be aware of those authorized boundaries.
“If you happen to’re not sure about particular content material, err on the facet of warning or seek the advice of our on-site authorized advisor.”
Organisers of the GPU informed The Telegraph it was “a household occasion, the aim of which is to foster peace and unity amongst the various numerous communities which make up our vibrant nation, the UK.”
They added: “The goal of the GPU Competition is to unfold understanding, not simply of Islam, however amongst folks of all faiths and none and to have a good time British Muslims, showcasing the spectacular contribution which we make to British society and to the world. It’s an occasion which has been held in a peaceable and organised approach since 2005.
“We don’t condone any type of extremism or anti-Semitism and stand firmly with those that fight all types of prejudice, racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. It’s possible you’ll wish to see our Pointers for Audio system which make this very clear.”
Different pageant audio system
Among the many audio system billed for the occasion is Ismail Patel, the founding father of Mates of Al Aqsa, one of many coalition companions of the pro-Palestine marches within the UK. On Oct 7 2023, he reposted X content material referring to Hamas as “freedom fighters” and the Israeli hostages as “occupation troopers.”
One other speaker is Ali Hammuda who mentioned the bloodbath on the pop pageant on Oct 7 2023 was journalists “concocting tales that merely by no means occurred.”
In a video shared along with his 161,000 YouTube subscribers on Oct 12 final 12 months, the cleric accused the media of “concocting tales that merely by no means occurred, the newest of them being, after all, this declare that an enormous bloodbath befell at a rave the place 260 folks had been killed as they had been dancing and singing”.
The video has since been eliminated by Youtube for “violating Youtube’s coverage on hate speech.”
A 3rd speaker is Fatima Barkatulla, an creator and Islamic scholar, who posted on Oct 8 2023 saying: “This Palestinian rebellion is 100% reputable. It’s an rebellion once more[st] European settler colonialism.”
One other speaker is Prof Ilan Pappe, an Exeter College tutorial, who simply after Oct 7 2023, mentioned he “admire[d] the braveness of the Palestinian fighters who took over a dozen army bases, overcoming the strongest military within the Center East… Hamas needed to act, and shortly so.”
Prof Pappe additionally known as for a “de-Zionised, liberated and democratic” Palestine “from the river to the ocean.” He additionally mentioned that Hamas was not a terrorist motion, although he condemned the assaults.
