London’s Metropolitan Police have come under heavy criticism for arresting a man carrying a sign calling Hamas a “terrorist” organisation during a pro-Palestinian protest in the British capital on Saturday.
Niyak Ghorbani, a 38-year-old Iranian-born man who lives in London was arrested by police while holding a sign saying “Hamas is terrorist” during the latest anti-Israel rally in the city.
Footage posted on social media showed officers dragging the counter-protester to the ground as he shouted out: “Shame on you!” and adding: “I wrote down Hamas is a terrorist organisation… but they arrested me”.
The Met claimed that the arrest was not motivated by the message on the sign but rather for assault. However, footage appeared to show that it was Mr Ghorbani who was assaulted by a pro-Palestinian mob that had surrounded him.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Ghorbani said: “They attacked me from behind and hit me in the head. They pushed me and told me Hamas is a protector of Palestine.”
“The police destroyed my sign and told me that I had harassed someone in the protest and that is why they arrested me.
“They arrested me because someone who supports Hamas attacked me and I defended myself. After 10 minutes my friends showed them a video of what I was doing and they released me.
“The person who attacked me was not arrested.”
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “The man was arrested after an altercation was ongoing, and officers intervened to prevent a breach of the peace. He was arrested for assault.
“Officers then fully reviewed footage provided of the incident, and he was later de-arrested. The arrest was not made in relation to the placard.”
London’s police force has come under frequent criticism for appearing to take a double standard towards pro-Palestinian protests and those in favour of Israel in the wake of the October 7th terror attacks, which saw Hamas butcher around 1,200 people in Israel and take hundreds more captive.
For instance, while police arrested dozens of countre-protesters as a “preventative” measure — meaning that no crimes were committed — to prevent a “breach of the peace supposedly”, they have appeared unwilling in some instances to enforce the law against pro-Palestinian protesters.
Commenting on the latest instance of apparent bias from the Met, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said: “We are surrendering the streets. The authorities that we pay to protect us are going after the wrong people.”
Mr Farage went on to suggest that the police force may have a “problem on their hands” in response to a Community Notes post on X claiming that the arrest of Ghorbani may have been unlawful.
Meanwhile, the conservative activist group Turning Point UK said that the incident demonstrated that the Met is “no longer fit for purpose,” adding: “You are a disgrace to the name of policing.”