Two men arrested for flying Hizbollah flags

This week Police announced that two men were arrested for flying the Hizbollah flag during a Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration in Central London “for offences under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000”.

 A Police spokesman stated:

“We recognise that activity and behaviour like this can cause concerns within communities, and we are committed to disrupting and dealing with any groups or individuals who aim to cause harm or spread fear and hatred, no matter what their ideological or political motive. While holding extreme views is not in itself unlawful, those who seek to create division within our communities and whose protests cross over into unlawful intimidation, violence and public disorder will be dealt with robustly.”

CST has continuously contended that the flag, which represents both the military and political wing of Hizobollah, breaches anti-terrorism laws and the flying of the flag should be banned. CST worked tirelessly with the Jewish Leadership Council to lobby UK and European leaders to ban Hizbollah’s military wing, and welcomed the decision at the time. Hizbollah continues to pose a long standing terrorist threat to Jewish communities around the world. For example, in February 2013 during a trial of a Hizbollah operative in Cyprus, the defendant stated that:

“I was just collecting information about the Jews,” he told police, according to a sworn deposition. “This is what my organization is doing, everywhere in the world.” 

CST’s Director of Communications, Mark Gardner, responded to the news of the arrests in London this week:

“We and our communal partners have long argued that the flying of Hezbollah flags should contravene anti-terror legislation, so we very much welcome this apparent development.”