Fury as footage shows police tearing down posters of Israeli hostages with officers branded ‘disgusting’
FURY erupted last night with cops branded “disgusting” after police from two forces tore down images of Israeli hostages.
Online footage showed an officer binning posters put up in solidarity with kidnap victims including children.
The lone PCSO ignores a passer-by who asks: “Why is the police taking this down? Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.”
The incident in Prestwich, Gtr Manchester, came after two cops were pictured ripping down posters outside a chemist in Edgware, North London, at the weekend.
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Stephen Watson made a grovelling apology yesterday.
He said the PCSO was responding to a complaint about fly-posting, but admitted their actions were against official guidance.
The apology cut little ice with Prestwich’s 30,000 Jewish residents. Law researcher Ahron Kaufman, 36, said: “It is disgusting. The posters are not political.
“They are just raising awareness of the innocent victims who have been kidnapped.
“It doesn’t matter which side you are on, it’s showing the humanitarian aspects.
“The police probably took down the posters because they were scared of what reaction it would cause. They shouldn’t pander to the people who complain.”
Surveyor Joseph Levi, 27, added: “Police don’t normally get involved in fly-posting, so why should this be any different.”
Tory vice-chair Lee Anderson said: “This is an outrageous overreach by Greater Manchester Police. How dare they do this?
“After standing by as protesters called for a jihad, the police are failing at their job to keep hatred and violence off Britain’s streets.
“Officers should stick to cracking down on anyone who breaks the law.”
The Met Police have also been slammed for tearing down posters of hostages taken in Hamas raids on October 7.
Some locals in Edgware, also home to a sizeable Jewish community, have slammed the officers over their “disgusting actions”.
But the Met have insisted they were merely taking steps to “stop issues escalating” and to “avoid community tension”.
The force said they had received calls from locals claiming the missing posters were hung in “retaliation” for comments about the conflict made on social media by a person associated with the business.
Police said a printout of those remarks was also hung outside the shop.
Haasan Khan, the chemist’s CEO, reposted comments on X/Twitter, appearing to show a colleague branding Israel and the Israel Defence Forces “filthy animals”.
The Met said it was assessing social media posts for any potential offences.
Senior MPs were left reeling by the shocking footage.
Ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “The public will rightly be astonished and appalled.
“The cause of this conflict is that Hamas raped, murdered and kidnapped Israeli civilians.
“Having refused to arrest people, waving Hamas flags and chanting anti-Semitic slogans, the police now prefer to punish Jewish people even more by taking away their commemoration for their loved ones.”
Ex-Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood added: “Removing pictures is not only offensive it ignorantly assumes no one can distinguish between the barbarism of Hamas and the plight of ordinary Gazans.
“Not knowing the fate of loved ones, after such a barbaric attack involving brutal murders and hostage taking invokes such a sense of powerlessness it’s an understandable response to share pictures in the hope someone may have news or knowledge.”
He was echoed by former Cabinet Minister David Jones who said: “This is quite incredible conduct by these officers.
“The events in Gaza mean that policing should be carried out with huge sensitivity.
“Many will be deeply affronted by this back-handed behaviour. An immediate apology is called for.”
Community figures also criticised the police for their actions and urged the UK to show more support to Israel and its people.
Raphi Bloom, co-chair of the North West Friends of Israel group, said: “The PCSO shouldn’t have done it.
“They acted upon a complaint. For me, it says part of a wider issue that we’re facing as a community.
“I’ve been getting reports all the time from people being accosted in the gym, being talked about in cafes, because they might be identifiably Jewish. It’s a very, very scary time for British Jews.”
Tensions have increased across the UK, with thousands marching in solidarity with Palestinians since Israel laid siege to Hamas in Gaza.
Marc Levy, of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, added: “There’s clear anxiety.
“We have seen a surge in anti-Semitic hate crime, the likes of which we’ve never experienced.
“It’s a long-running theme that whenever there are conflicts in the Middle East, Jewish communities around the world are targeted.
“But the level of vitriol we have seen in some of these pro-Palestinian marches across the UK has left the Jewish community feeling extremely fearful.
“Parents have concerns about whether it’s safe to let their children go to school, or attend youth centres and synagogues.
“We have to keep reminding everyone it is not a normal situation. The status quo cannot continue where Jewish communities fear for their safety to the extent we have to barricade our buildings.”
Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham and deputy mayor Kate Green said they had passed on “strong concerns” to the force about the removal of the posters.
Chief Constable Watson confirmed: “Our professional standards department are looking at that as we speak.
“My early understanding is that there were a series of complaints about the posters, an officer has been deployed — in fact it was a PCSO — and the PCSO, under instruction, removed the posters.
“So there’s nothing malicious in the intent of the officer, there’s nothing that’s done off the officer’s own bat.”
He added: “But I think, reading between the lines, this is where we’ve responded badly to a complaint and I think we’ve got it wrong, and we have not operated in accordance with our instructions.”
Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry added later: “We know the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is causing great distress to members of Greater Manchester’s Jewish community and our thoughts remain with them at this time.
“The force has increased engagement with representatives, including the Community Security Trust, to ensure that they feel heard and understood by GMP and to ensure their safety within the city and our neighbourhoods.
“We share concerns raised regarding the removal of posters in the north Manchester area and can confirm that an investigation is under way.
“We will continue to work with local authorities and the community to ensure posters can be displayed. We regret any offence caused.”
- LAST night hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters filled London’s Liverpool Street station to call for a ceasefire.