British police ‘de-arrest’ Muslim after pro-Hamas crowd blocks vehicle

Greater Manchester Police Sunday canceled the arrest of a Muslim man after a mob of pro-Hamas demonstrators surrounded the police vehicle and blocked its passage.

Footage shows police officers arresting the unidentified man during a demonstration in support of Hamas as protesters shouted at them to “let him go!” The crowd surrounded the vehicle and refused to let it pass. Further footage shows the Muslim man jumping from the van to the cheers of the crowd as he makes the “victory” sign. 

The incident drew criticism on social media.

“More clear two tier policing shown at the Manchester pro Palestine rally. Police try to make an arrest, the rest of the mob block the police van demanding the Muslim is freed, and the police cave and release him, absolute cowards! If this had been races reversed, they'd have the riot squad in swinging their batons,” activist Tommy Robinson posted to X.

Robinson was arrested and pepper-sprayed by several police officers last week when he attended a march against antisemitism alongside an estimated 60,000 people in central London. The activist, known for his opposition to Muslim expansionism, had reportedly disobeyed a police order forbidding him from the march because his presence might “cause alarm and distress to others.”

Last month Prime Minister Rishi Sunak terminated then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she publicly criticized British police for operating with a double standard which favors pro-Muslim protesters. She drew a comparison to demonstrations during the COVID-19 pandemic when those who protested lockdowns were met with a harsh police response, unlike demonstrators for Black Lives Matter.

“There is a perception that senior police officers play favorites when it comes to protesters,” Braverman wrote. “During Covid, why was it that lockdown objectors were given no quarter by public order police yet Black Lives Matters demonstrators were enabled, allowed to break rules and even greeted with officers taking the knee?”

“Right-wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response yet pro-Palestinian mobs displaying almost identical behavior are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law? I have spoken to serving and former police officers who have noted this double standard,” she continued.

During a pro-Hamas protest earlier this month British police asked counter-protesters to keep their British flags held back. When asked why they were allowing PLO flags to be flown but not British ones, an officer replied: “There's way more of them than there is of us.”

Favorable treatment toward Muslims by British authorities is not limited to Israel’s war.

In July a woman who drunkenly assaulted a bowling alley employee and shouted racial slurs in public dodged an abstinence order because she is Muslim. While normally, shouting the word “n*gger” or even posting it online could lead to arrest in the UK, 20-year-old Husina Hussain was let off with a light sentence so she would not miss Friday prayers in the mosque.

The same discrepancy is seen with regard to Muslim attitudes toward same-sex attraction.

According to surveys, over half of British Muslims openly believe same sex attraction (SSA) should be illegal, and nearly half believe one who struggles with SSA should not be allowed to teach in schools. In a 2009 study, 100% of the British Muslims surveyed called SSA immoral. In 2013, 400 Muslim leaders in the UK published an open letter opposing a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. In February, the Association of British Muslims expressed “deep concern” about the Church of England’s embrace of gender ideology and asserted that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. 

While such sentiment would normally be categorized as “hate” and carry harsh repercussions in Britain, it is accepted and even respected by British authorities as an integral part of Islam.

This could be attributed to the high level of Islamization of British society. Comprising 6.5% of the population in England and Wales, Muslims are the second largest religious group. At least nineteen Muslims serve in the UK Parliament, and Muslim Labour Party member Sadiq Khan has been serving as London’s mayor for nearly a decade. The Muslim name “Mohammed” has been the most popular name for baby boys in England for the last seven years.

Islamic financial interests in the UK, which began to surge in the seventies, may also be a large factor in the British government’s attitude towards its Muslim citizens.

Qatar, for instance, is the tenth largest landowner in the UK, with 23 million square feet of Britain belonging to the Qatari government. Kuwait is estimated to own roughly £17 billion ($22 billion) in British assets, including shares in British Petroleum, Vodafone, and HSBC. British investments of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE total over £140 billion ($181 billion). The British government also reportedly owes Iran a debt of £400 million ($517 million).

The UK accounts for about 85% of all Islamic banking assets in Europe, according to estimates, more than any other European country (excluding Turkey). There are at least five banks in the UK fully compliant with Sharia law. According to TheCityUK, “the UK is the main hub for Islamic banking in the Western world.”