KB-2023-003636 - [2025] EWHC 2043 (KB)

On 23 May 2021, an event (“the rally for Israel”) took place in Kensington High Street, in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy. There was also a “counter protest”, and a considerable police presence. A video of the event shows eggs and bottles were thrown. There was a young man (who is not taking part in any violence) standing still with a dog, what looks like a golden labrador, between his legs. No other dogs are apparent in the video footage. The claimant appears to walk towards them. Then, a large number of the counter protesters walk in that direction, and the man and his dog walk away from them and out of the footage.

The claimant approached a police officer and said, loudly:

“When those Zionists came in with their dogs, that was an act of provocation. And the fact that the dogs themselves were able to attack [The police officer then clarifies that the claimant did not come into contact with the dog]… I’m making it very clear so that everyone understands, if those dogs come close to us again we will see it as an act of aggression and we will kill those dogs, we will put them down.”

A little later, the claimant took hold of a megaphone and gave a speech to a group of men, many of whom were wearing masks and hoods. He denounced “this terrible apartheid state of Israel”. He said:

“The truth of the matter is we are with the brothers and sisters of Palestine, and we will get our vengeance in this dunya or the akhira. We will get our vengeance, and believe you me we believe in a god that is just, and we will get our justice either in this world or in the hereafter.

…

And the difference between us and them is this… They think that life begins; for us, we believe that death begins. We believe that life begins at death. We don’t care about death. We love death.”

After the claimant had apparently left the area, one of the counter protesters said “we’ll find some Jews there. We want the Zionists. We want their blood.”