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Police say hate-filled speech did not cross legal threshold
Met Police
The Metropolitan Police has decided not to pursue charges against an East London imam who delivered a sermon invoking curses on Jews and calling for the destruction of their homes.
The Jewish Chronicle reports that the sermon, delivered in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, was found to not meet the legal threshold for a crime, despite including statements such as: “Oh Allah, curse the Jews and the children of Israel. Oh Allah, curse the infidels and the polytheists. Oh Allah, break their words, shake their feet, disperse and tear apart their unity and ruin their houses and destroy their homes.”
Following the initial decision not to treat the sermon as a crime, police faced criticism and agreed to review their stance. However, after further investigation and consultation with independent counsel and an unnamed academic expert, they reaffirmed the original decision.
A police spokesperson told the newspaper that offense had been caused by the language used, particularly among London’s Jewish communities, but emphasised that their investigations concluded the legal threshold for action was not met. “We recognise that this will be frustrating to many, but we police to the letter of the law and must weigh the evidence against the legislation as it is, not as some may want it to be. It is for Parliament to determine where the line is drawn, not the police.”
