Met Police appeal in hunt for 60 people suspected of committing hate crimes since October 7

Force reveals nearly 1,000 ongoing investigations into range of offences under Operation Brocks
Do you recognise these men?
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John Dunne @jhdunne27 November 2023
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Detectives have launched an appeal in the hunt for 60 people suspected of committing hate crimes in London since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.

Officers have been trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from protests and from communities where violence and abuse has flared.

There are more than than 977 ongoing investigations across the force into a range of offences linked to alleged crimes and Scotland Yard has issued images of those they wish to interview under Operation Brocks.

In total, 434 people have been arrested for a range of offences including hate crimes and public order offences over the past seven weeks. Of these arrests, 288 were made in connection with offences at protests, 133 were following offences in communities, and 13 were related to counter terrorism offences.

Some of the images Scotland Yard have released relate to trouble to right wing protesters who clashed with police in a counter demonstration against a pro-Palestine rally on November 11.

There are also pictures of pro-Palestine supporters at a series of marches and rallies across the capital including in Trafalgar Square.

A total of 85 people have been charged in relation to incidents sparked by the Israel-Hamas conflict which has claimed thousands of lives.

The Met’s appeal includes a call for help to identify two men following incident in Stanhope Gate, close to Park Lane in Westminster, on Saturday afternoon at around 1pm.

A journalist and her colleagues were harassed by two men, one in his 30s, and one in his 50s, according to police.

One of the men is in his 30s had a long black beard and was wearing a blue Adidas jacket, black cargo trousers with a white scarf with red and green patterns and a black bandana.

The second suspect was a balding man with greying brown hair who was wearing blue jeans, a black leather jacket, a black jumper and was carrying a megaphone.

The organisers claimed it was the largest demonstration against anti-Semitism since 1936, with 104,000 estimated to have attended.

English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson also attended the march, despite being told by organisers to stay away. He was seen being escorted away from the march by police after arguing with officers for around 10 minutes outside Soho coffee shop opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

Met officers arrested Robinson after he refused to leave the area when asked to by police officers. He claimed to be there "as a journalist" but his arrest was not due to this, the Met Police said.

The group of a few thousand were seen waving Israeli and Union flags and holding placards reading ‘Never Again Is Now’ and ‘Zero Tolerance for Antisemites’, while other posters read ‘Rape is not resistance’ and ‘Hamas made me Jewish’. The march came after 18 demonstrators were arrested in the capital during a separate rally calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza - with anti-Semitic banners and placards on display throughout the march.

Chief Superintendent Paul Trevers said of Scotland Yard’s appeal to the public to hunt down suspects: “We know the effect of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to have a significant impact on communities in London and we will do all we can to keep people safe.

“Our officers continue to meet regularly with members of the Jewish and Muslim communities across capital to provide reassurance and to respond to any concerns they may have.

“We have also been clear that offences, such as hate crime and support for proscribed organisations, will not be tolerated and we continue to have a dedicated policing operation to investigate these crimes and identify offenders.”

Anyone who recognises any of the people on the force’s live appeals webpage is asked to call 0208 246 9386. Alternatively, they can call 101 quoting Operation Brocks and the relevant image identification number.

Information can also be shared anonymously with independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via their website.

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