Speaking his mind about an infestation of Palestinian flags in his neighborhood has led to a London man being arrested.
During a video posted to X, the man, who did not provide his name in the video, filmed a variety of Palestinian flags in his neighborhood. According to the Express, the video was initially posted to Facebook.
“This is the kind of s*** that’s going on,” he said before videoing flags up and down the street.
“This is what we’re dealing with.”
WARNING: The following video contains language some readers may find offensive.
Posting this video of himself criticizing migrants in his neighborhood for putting Palestine flags everywhere got this man arrested.
(2/2) pic.twitter.com/EnE0vaO8ZW
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 1, 2023
“This is the kind of crap that we’re dealing with … This is the kind of nonsense we’re dealing with in Bethnal Green,” he said.
“You let them into the country, and this is the s*** they come up with,” he said.
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A video of his arrest was also posted to X.
In the video, an officer explains that the man who was arrested was “witnessed as saying: ‘Why are they over here, etc. We let them into our country, etc.’”
The man’s wife was incredulous, complaining that he was being arrested because he “said something about Hamas, a terrorist organization!”
British police come to a man’s home to arrest him for posting a video to Facebook of him criticizing migrants in his area for putting Palestine flags up everywhere in the neighborhood.
The video he was arrested for will be posted in the comments ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dO5K7PdW6x
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 1, 2023
“You can’t have an opinion in this country,” she later exclaimed as her husband was being led away.
The Metropolitan Police Force offered their side of the story in a post on X.
“This video shows the arrest of a man on suspicion of a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offence. The arrested man was taken to an east London police station where he remains at this time,” the post said.
This video shows the arrest of a man on suspicion of a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offence.
The arrested man was taken to an east London police station where he remains at this time.
We take all allegations of hate crime incredibly seriously. Where offences…
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 1, 2023
“We take all allegations of hate crime incredibly seriously. Where offences have taken place, our officers are attending, supporting victims and making arrests — and we will continue to do so,” the post said.
Many criticized the arrest as the man was giving his opinion, which should be allowed under England’s freedom of expression — a much more restricted version of America’s freedom of speech.
“I’m not quite sure of the allegation here, or how the video beneath (in which the arrested man is simply criticizing Palestinian flags displayed in Bethnal Green) constitutes a crime. Is it that he alluded to immigrants, or is it considered a ‘harmful online video,’ or ‘hate’?” Adrian Hilton, a lecturer in Political Philosophy and Education at the University of Surrey, posted on X.
“I am frankly shocked that this Bethnal Green resident has been arrested for posting a video on Facebook of his criticism of all the unwelcoming flags on the Bethnal Green Road…ARRESTED?! This is not the East London I once loved. Shame on the Police!” Manick Govinda, a teacher at London Metropolitan University, posted on X.
