Police probe Tube driver who led his passengers in ‘anti-Semitic chant’
A LONDON Tube driver was being investigated by police last night after starting an allegedly antiSemitic chant for passengers, some heading for a pro-Palestine rally.
The unidentified driver whipped some passengers to chant ‘free, free Palestine’ over the train’s tannoy and reportedly encouraged them to sing: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.’
The song, which has been described as anti-Semitic by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, calls for the destruction of Israel, say Jewish leaders.
Last night, as British Transport Police said officers had launched an investigation into the driver. Security Minister Tom Tugendhat tweeted: ‘London’s Tubes are for everyone. Many will find this intimidating.’
The shocking incident came on a tense day when:
● Extremists waving black jihadist flags shouted ‘God’s curse on the Jews’ and screamed ‘jihad’ in Whitehall in front of police, who did not arrest them, at a march of 100,000 protesters in London;
● Hardline Islamist groups held demonstrations outside the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in London, calling for ‘jihad’ against Israel and for the armies of Muslim nations to strike the country;
● As protesters gathered in other cities, football fans at Anfield unfurled signs saying ‘Save Gaza’ – but stewards asked for the removal of a banner commemorating Israeli Liverpool supporters who died in the Hamas attack.
The Tube driver was carrying passengers on a packed Central Line train heading towards Marble Arch station, where yesterday’s demonstration began at 1pm.
As the train left Bond Street station, witnesses said the driver told passengers over the tannoy: ‘Sorry I can’t join your protest today, I couldn’t get the day off work. But you have my full support. Join me in chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.’ Last week Ms Braverman said the song was anti-Semitic
‘The atmosphere turned very ugly, very quickly’
because it implies the destruction of Israel. Jewish leaders have asked for it to be made illegal.
The Met said singing the song in front of Jews or in front of Jewish schools or synagogues can be an arrestable offence.
Video footage showed the driver chanting over the tannoy, ‘Free, free Palestine’ as some joined in.
Angry passenger Wendy Henry said: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The driver wanted to whip up anti-Israeli feeling and the atmosphere turned very ugly, very quickly. The noise in carriages from pro-Palestinian demonstrators was deafening and aggressive.’
Transport for London, which is run by Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan, said: ‘We are working to scrutinise the footage and ensure the circumstances are urgently investigated.’
As tens of thousands marched from Marble Arch to Parliament, a group of extremists waved a black jihadi flag on Whitehall and let off flares as police officers stood by doing nothing. One extremist, dressed in black, was filmed shouting ‘Islamic State’ in Arabic. He added: ‘God’s curse upon the unbelievers, God’s curse upon the Jews, God’s curse upon Israel.’ A man next to him shouted on a megaphone, ‘Hamas! Hamas!’ Both ISIS and Hamas are proscribed organisations in Britain and glorifying them in public can lead to up to 14 years jail. Last night the Met said it was investigating the video.
Another video emerged on social media showing two placards sideby-side depicting Rishi Sunak and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu with Hitler moustaches. The Met made ten arrests in total at the protests.
A hardline Islamic extremist group called Hizb-ut-Tahrir held demonstrations outside the Egyptian and Turkish embassies where they called for ‘jihad’ on Israel. Some in the crowd held placards saying, ‘Zionist murder of the Palestinians must end’. One man addressed the crowd of a few hundred, saying: ‘There is only one solution to Palestine. That solution is jihad, and jihad only.’
As he delivered his hateful speech, up to 15 Met officers stood by and did nothing. Last night, the Met said specialist officers and lawyers studied the video and concluded no offence had been committed.
At Anfield, where Liverpool played Everton, some unfurled banners that said ‘For God’s sake, save Gaza’, as well as waving Palestinian flags. But one group, who unfurled a banner commemorating the Israeli Liverpool fans killed in the Hamas attack, were told by stewards it was not allowed. The club was contacted for comment.
There were also Palestine protests in Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle and Edinburgh.