British police released a pro-Palestine activist with Hitler placards after 10 minutes, who then returned to protest, GB News reported on Friday.
The British news outlet reported that the activist was found “carrying Hitler placards in the boot of his car and was stopped by police before being released and allowed to rejoin the crowds just 10 minutes later.”
These photos of placards are being shared online. We believe they were taken during a proactive vehicle stop by officers near the march start point.As a result, we don’t believe they have been distributed. Should they be displayed in the crowd, action will be taken. https://t.co/UOBSwNCFxD
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 5, 2024
The report further says that the signs show images of Hitler morphing into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labeled “the irony of becoming what you once hated.”
GB News spotted the man being questioned by police and then noticed him being released after 10 minutes.
Police confirmed to GB News at the time that the man had not been arrested.
The Metropolitan Police responded on X, saying, "These photos of placards are being shared online. We believe they were taken during a proactive vehicle stop by officers near the march start point. As a result, we don’t believe they have been distributed. Should they be displayed in the crowd, action will be taken."
Arrests through the march
The Met confirmed it had arrested ten people throughout the Quds Day march: two for racial hatred after they burned an Israeli flag, another for making a homophobic remark, and a number of people who tried to prevent the previous arrest were also arrested for obstruction.
The Met updated the total after the march ended, adding that there had been one further arrest for assaulting an emergency worker and that the officer involved was not seriously injured.
Commander Colin Wingrove wrote before the march that although there had been calls to ban the march, the police could only ban protests if they posed "a real risk of serious disorder," which police intelligence assessments found to be unlikely.