Police defend investigation into journalist's social media post

Essex Police has defended its actions aft Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson said she was near “dumbstruck” by a sojourn to her location connected Remembrance Sunday implicit a societal media post.

Officers visited Pearson arsenic portion of an probe into alleged incitement to radical hatred, pursuing a ailment from a subordinate of the public, the unit said.

In an article, Pearson said she was told by the constabulary who came to her location it was implicit a “non-crime hatred incident”, but not told which station it was about.

The unit said “at nary stage” did its officers archer her the probe was related to a “non-crime hatred incident.”

A non-crime hatred incidental is wherever nary transgression offence has been committed but the idiosyncratic reporting it believes the incidental to beryllium motivated by hostility.

In a statement, Essex Police said officers “went to a residential code to put a clip to bash an interrogation with a pistillate astir a ailment made by a subordinate of the public”.

“At nary signifier during the abbreviated enactment betwixt the pistillate and our officers was she informed that the study being investigated was being treated arsenic a non-crime hatred incident. To suggest different is wholly inaccurate and misleading.

“As the nationalist would expect, we person assemblage worn video of this enactment which wholly supports our presumption successful this respect.”

• Warning: This nonfiction contains connection that immoderate radical whitethorn find offensive

In her article, Pearson said she had not been told which station the ailment was about, but that "a twelvemonth ago, I was consumed with the aftermath of the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas" and slogans brandished astatine pro-Palestinian marches.

The BBC has seen the now-deleted station from 16 November past year. It shows an representation of 2 constabulary officers lasting adjacent to 2 men holding what appears to beryllium a emblem of of the Pakistani governmental enactment Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The station tags the Metropolitan Police alongside the words “how situation they”.

It adds: “Invited to airs for a photograph with beauteous peaceful British Friends of Israel connected Saturday constabulary refused. Look astatine this batch smiling with the Jew haters.”

X added a announcement to the station stating that the representation was taken successful Manchester, not London, and that it is “not related to Palestine”.

Pearson said that erstwhile constabulary turned up astatine her location past Sunday morning, she was shocked.

"I was decidedly shocked. Astonished. That too. Upset. How could I not be?” she said, adding that she felt “a surge of instinctive anger. A non-crime - what the hell?”

The unit has since lodged a ailment with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) regulator implicit the Telegraph's reporting of the incident.

The BBC has been told by the Met Police that the archetypal ailment was made by a subordinate of the nationalist successful 18 November past year.

The unit said it was contacted connected societal media by a subordinate of the nationalist “who wished to marque an allegation that a station connected X was a imaginable hatred crime”.

It added that the allegation was recorded but not investigated, and past passed connected to Sussex Police connected 22 November, arsenic the complainant lived successful that county. Sussex Police past passed it to Essex Police.

A fig of governmental figures person travel retired successful enactment of Pearson, including shadiness location caput Chris Philp and erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson - and a statement has been sparked astir escaped speech.

Richard Tice, president of the Reform UK party, told the BBC the Telegraph columnist had been near "terrified and scared" by the constabulary visit.

He besides called connected the main constable of Essex Police to apologise to Pearson oregon hazard bringing the unit into disrepute.

The Home Office has already been looking into however forces reappraisal non-crime hatred incidents successful equilibrium with the close to escaped speech.

A spokesperson for the premier ministers’ bureau said: “Ultimately it's important that the constabulary tin seizure information relating to non-crime hatred incidents... to assistance forestall superior crimes which whitethorn aboriginal occur.

“This indispensable beryllium balanced with the cardinal close to escaped code and besides ensuring that the constabulary tin walk their clip dealing with the issues that substance astir to our communities."

The BBC has contacted The Daily Telegraph for comment.