CAA resumes private prosecution after Met says it was not incitement for imam to preach: ‘curse the Jews’

The Metropolitan Police have decided to close their investigation into an imam at the Redbridge Islamic Centre, claiming that there was not sufficient evidence for a conviction.

The investigation related to a sermon delivered on 20th October 2023. In a video of the sermon, the imam is heard saying, “Oh Allah, curse the Jews and the children of Israel. Oh Allah, curse the infidels and the polytheists,” and “Oh Allah, break their words, shake their feet, disperse and tear apart their unity and ruin their houses and destroy their homes.”

Following an initial investigation, the Met concluded that there was insufficient evidence and closed the case.

In May 2024, Campaign Against Antisemitism notified the Met of its intention to launch a private prosecution of the imam, at which point the Met decided to reopen its investigation.

The Met then sought early advice from the Senior District Crown Prosecutor, it said, who concluded that the rhetoric did not cross a criminal threshold. The Met also told Campaign Against Antisemitism that it consulted senior counsel and an “expert academic”, whom it did not name.

The Met then told us that its senior officers concluded that they were “not satisfied there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction” and have now decided to close the case again.

Campaign Against Antisemitism intends to recommence our private prosecution, which we had paused during the Met’s re-investigation.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “After a year and a half, senior Met commanders have concluded that a call in a mosque to ‘curse the Jews’ does not constitute incitement. This is an appalling betrayal.

“It is hard to imagine what more the Met would need to pursue this case. There is video footage and it does not seem that any of the facts are in question, so what the Met is saying is that extremists can preach hatred of Jews from pulpits in mosques up and down the country, and our police will not lift a finger. This is why eight in ten British Jews think that the police do not do enough to protect them, according to our polling.

“We will now work with our lawyers to continue the process of privately prosecuting this case. We are also awaiting a decision from the Charity Commission on this matter as the mosque where this took place is a registered charity. Instead of relying on the authorities like everyone else, it is increasingly the case that British Jews have to rely on us to take action to enforce the law of the land.”