UK swastika sign protester arrested amid outrage over Met officer remarks

A protester carrying a swastika sign was arrested at a Pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday, but outrage was sparked by a video in which a Metropolitan Police officer told a pro-Israel counter-protester that that the swastika sign had to be taken in context.

The demonstrator carrying the swastika sign was one of two people arrested under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 for causing harassment, alarm and distress at the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign march in central London. Another man was arrested for inviting support for a proscribed terrorist organization, and another for a racially aggravated public order offense.

In a video posted Saturday by journalist Emily Schrader, a counter-protester appealed to a policeman explaining that she had been told by another officer that the swastika sign was not necessarily antisemitic or a disruption of public order.

When the @metpoliceuk refuse to arrest Hamas supporters with a swastika sign today in London one officer told a girl that swastikas disturbing public order “depends on context”If you’re holding a sign with a swastika at an anti-Israel march — this is blatantly antisemitic. Come… pic.twitter.com/MjDNnHomnv

— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) March 30, 2024

"Everything needs to be taken in context doesn't it?" said the officer in the video. "I don't have in-depth knowledge of signs and symbols. I know the swastika was used by the Nazi party during their inception and the period of them being in power in Germany."

The officer said that he wasn't certain how "everybody would feel about that sign." 

Section 5 of the 1986 Public Order Act

The Met policeman then said in the video that they were guided by Section 5 of the 1986 Public Order Act. The amended act holds that "A person is guilty of an offence if he uses threatening or abusive words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening or abusive within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby."

The counter-protester said that she was indeed alarmed by the use of the antisemitic sign, and offered to bring the officer to the person with the swastika. The officer said that he couldn't leave his station, and she should inform an officer near the sign. She said that she had been sent to him by an officer closer to the incident.

The Metropolitan Police told The Jerusalem Post that it was aware of the online video clip, but stated that it was "a short excerpt of what was a 10-minute conversation with the officer. During the full conversation, the officer establishes that the person the woman was concerned about had already been arrested for a public order offence in relation to a placard."

"The officer then offered to arrange for other officers to attend and accompany the woman to identify any other persons she was concerned about amongst the protestors, but after turning to speak to his supervisor, she then unfortunately left," the police said. "We take hate crime and public order offences very seriously and a number of people were arrested during today's protest for hate crimes, public order and terrorist offences. We are also gathering and assessing evidence with a view to making further arrests where we identify any other offences."

The Met also responded to Schrader, who commented on social media that the arrest didn't change the fact that the officer said the swastika was not always illegal and refused to leave his post.

"If there’s a 10 minute exchange, by all means share it," said Schrader.

In response to the clip, Yad Vashem said that the swastika is a symbol of evil.

"The Swastika was used to rouse and galvanize Nazi followers during the Holocaust," said the Holocaust memorial, museum, and research center. "It terrified both the Nazis' victims and the innocent bystanders of the world."