Palestine campaign used police to silence my Hamas criticism – Peter Tatchell

Activist Peter Tatchell has said stewards at a pro-Palestine march used the police to “silence” his criticism of Hamas.

The Metropolitan Police said the human rights campaigner was arrested in “error” at a march in London on Saturday after “concerns were raised with officers by stewards from the Palestine Coalition protest”.

Mr Tatchell, 73, was taking part in a protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to commemorate Nakba Day and was carrying a placard which read “Stop Israel genocide! Stop Hamas executions!”.

He said he had attended the protest to “condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but also to expose Hamas’s execution of Palestinian critics”.

Mr Tatchell told the PA news agency: “I find it shocking that the campaign, which I have supported for 54 years, would seek to use the police to silence my criticism of Hamas.

“My placard clearly condemned Israel’s genocide and supported freedom for Palestine.”

Discussing the protest, the activist said: “Before the march started, I was abused, menaced and threatened by a minority of protesters.

“Some said ‘f*** off’, others said ‘get out of here’ and accused me of being ‘Zionist scum’.

“Despite me being threatened, the police stood by and did nothing. I was frightened for my safety, but the police did not intervene.”

Mr Tatchell said Palestine Solidarity Campaign stewards then wrongly told police that he had been shouting “Hamas are terrorists”, adding that officers told him shouting such a slogan “was a potential criminal offence”.

The activist said he was then approached by a police officer who wrongly believed him to be “part of a counter protest” and was subsequently arrested for a racially and religiously aggravated breach of the peace under the Public Order Act.

Mr Tatchell said: “The police singled me out from all the hundreds of people marching in that section, they told me that I had to stop and when I asked why, they said they’d been requested to remove me by stewards from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

“The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has questions to answer. Did they collude with the police to have me arrested and why do they refuse to tolerate criticism of Hamas by supporters of Palestine?

“It’s outrageous that criticising Hamas’s human rights abuses can get you arrested in Britain in 2025.”

The Metropolitan Police said Mr Tatchell would face no further action and that it would review its “handling of the incident to fully understand what took place”.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Mr Tatchell was initially detained after concerns were raised with officers by stewards from the Palestine Coalition protest.

“Officers spoke with him and, believing him to be a counter protester, directed him to join the counter protest in its designated area.

“When he attempted to rejoin the Palestine Coalition protest he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions in place and to prevent a breach of the peace.

“While officers were acting in good faith based on the information they had received at the time, we now understand that Mr Tatchell was legitimately participating in the Palestine Coalition protest and was not in breach of any conditions.

“He was released from custody at the earliest opportunity once officers realised that an error had been made.”

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign was approached for comment.