Dismore demands action on proscribed organisation flags
At today’s Mayor’s Question Time Andrew Dismore , Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden challenged the Mayor over the lack of action on the display of proscribed terrorist organisation’s flags on demonstrations. Video link https://vimeo.com/175557595
Mr Dismore told the Mayor:
‘I have raised the issue of the display of the flags of proscribed organisations like Hezbollah before on a number of occasions. The Met. say that to avoid confrontation on such marches, they don’t act there and then, but record evidence and follow up with enforcement later. I don’t suppose you can say now how many such arrests and prosecutions there have been for this over the last couple of years but I can’t recall seeing very many, but will you find out, and how many there are after this particular event, to see if the Met are actually doing what they say?’
The Mayor accepted the point, that it was important to go behind the Met.’s assurances to see what actually was happening in practice and agreed to discuss this with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner report back to the Assembly .
Mr Dismore also told the Mayor:
‘Lack of action against those waving the flags of proscribed organisations like Hezbollah and so called IS undermines the key messages of deradicalisation and zero tolerance of hate crime , if impressionable people see that they can do this with impunity’.
The Mayor agreed that this was the case and would also be following this up with the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.