In a thought-provoking case Cambridgeshire police made a decision that got peoples attention - they didnt find an anti-Semitic image sent to Jewish students criminal enough to prosecute
The incident involved a social-media user who targeted the Union of Jewish Students with a disturbing image (combining religious and nazi symbols) which led to a complaint by Alex Hearn co-director of Labour Against Anti-Semitism. The policeʼs response: it wasnt “grossly offensive“ to meet criminal standards
When UJS posted about rising anti-Jewish actions on campusʼs‚ the user replied with the controversial image and wrote some non-factual statements about:
- Israeli actions
- Student safety
- Propaganda claims
There is a balance to strike in relation to issues around Article 10 of the Human Rights Act
The case highlights differences between UK police forces approach to hate-related incidents - while some forces make arrests for similar images during pro-Palestine marches others classify them as non-criminal. Hearn who is 49 years-old pointed out that the same person had been sending nazi-related symbols to various Jewish groups including messages to posts about Holocaust survivors
The policeʼs stance raises questions about what makes something “grossly offensive“ in legal terms; their decision means the incident gets recorded as a non-crime hate incident instead of leading to prosecution. This comes at a time when government data shows anti-Jewish incidents have doubled in just twelve months