The Guardian has reported that the Metropolitan Police are having to pay out £7,500 in damages after wrongly arresting a protester for opposing Israel’s war crimes at the start of its genocide in Gaza. Police essentially admitted to:
false imprisonment, assault and battery, and misfeasance in public office.
Metropolitan Police abuse in defence of Israeli crimes
Officers arrested 53-year-old protester Aisha Jung in November 2023, as Israel was destroying Gaza, because ‘some people might think her placard was offensive’. They took her away from her family, searched her, and detained her until 4 am.
One side of her placard read:
War crimes, war crimes, war crimes, apartheid Israel, what a removedry.
On the other side was:
Bombing civilians, massacring kids, ethnic cleansing, occupation & blockade, cutting off vital resources, collective punishment.
She told the Guardian:
Two weeks earlier I had gone to a demonstration with exactly the same sign, marching past hundreds of police officers. My work in human rights meant I understood my rights and was clear that my sign broke no laws, so the arrest was a huge shock to me.
She challenged the police about what legal grounds they were detaining her on, but they gave no answer.
A ‘mistake’ that should never have happened
Officers later interviewed Jung:
on suspicion of committing a religious or racial offence under the Public Order Act
They also took her “fingerprints, photograph and DNA”.
The ordeal resulted in “a lot of sleepless nights”. And she had to wait until the following May for confirmation that there would be no further action against her.
Solicitor Bríd Doherty asserted that:
she should not have been arrested while exercising her lawful right to protest
She added:
There has been a growing climate of hostility towards those peacefully protesting against Israel’s conduct in Gaza, and it’s chilling to see the frequency with which police are using their powers to clamp down on dissent.
Jung has now said:
I’m relieved it’s all over and the police have finally recognised they made a mistake. Peaceful protest should not be shut down and it’s important that those who wish to protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza, or other injustices in the world, do not feel intimidated to do so.
Amid UK government complicity and participation in Israel’s crimes, there have been numerous cases of police abuses against anti-genocide protesters.
This year, parliament’s highly controversial ban on non-violent direct action group Palestine Action has forced officers around the country to arrest hundreds upon hundreds of peaceful protesters under the Terrorism Act. But despite hunger strikes and growing pressure, the government is still refusing to reverse course.
Featured image via Rahman Lowe Solicitors
By Ed Sykes
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