A 12-year-old Jewish boy is under investigation by counter-extremism officers after he said that he wanted Hamas to be “wiped out,” a family member has claimed.
The boy's family, who have requested anonymity, have been interviewed by counter-terrorism police and local officers regarding radicalisation concerns after his comments about the terror organisation, they said.
The officers have also reportedly raised concerns about the boy posting a video online of him shooting a chair with a toy crossbow purchased from English Heritage.
The 12-year-old’s mum shared details of the meeting with GB News, which we have been able to verify in part due to an audio recording.
“The officers were absolutely determined to challenge us over the crossbow video, they asked us if we had combat knives or air rifles.
“It felt like they were trying to paint us as IDF radicals,” the boy’s mother said.
Northumbria Police and Counter Terrorism Policing North East said they were unable to discuss individual cases or identify anyone who may or may not be the subject of a Prevent referral.
The family, who are from South Tyneside, sought support from campaign group Fair Cop, which says it monitors police attempts to criminalise people for expressing opinions that do not break any laws.
Fair Cop’s Harry Miller attended a meeting between the family and the police, though the meeting appears to have started before he arrived.
In an audio recording of a portion of the meeting heard by GB News, the officers say they were not willing to “hash over” what they had already discussed after Mr Miller turned up to the meeting.
The officers also requested access to the boy’s “Snapchat handle.”
Several references to Hamas and the crossbow toy are made in the audio recording, which has not been disputed by officers.
The boy had a toy crossbow bought from English Heritage
GB News
Mr Miller, a former police officer, said this case was “another instance of the police wilfully missing the target because hunting down school children with toys is easier than confronting actual terrorists.”
He added: “Fair Cop will continue to stand between these idiots and the public until they stop behaving like the woke, cowardly Stasi they have become. The Home Office needs to get a grip. Sack every complicit Chief Constable.”
The child’s mother said that the police probe started after six months of the 12-year-old being targeted by bullies at school.
“Some of the boys were doing Nazi salutes towards my son in a PE changing room.
“My son’s arm was broken, which we think was an accident, but one of them was proud and gloating about it,” she claimed.
She told GB News that she believed that the boys had told teachers that her son was an extremist, misrepresenting him and anything he might have said.
“They are bullying my son. They follow him around. They tell on him for everything he says and does and sometimes they lie about him.”
The concerned mum said: “They asked him if the PE changing room showers reminded me of gas chambers. They sang Nazi songs to him, so loudly that teachers must have heard it.”
The boy’s mother, who did not want to identify the school her son attends, said that the safeguarding lead at school asked him a few weeks ago if there was anything on the news that was upsetting him.
The child is understood to have said: “I am concerned about Hamas, I think Hamas should be wiped out, they are terrorists.”
The mum said that this remark was included in a report to Prevent, the government’s counter-extremism body.
She claimed that the boy’s comments about the proscribed terrorist group were raised as a concern by detectives in the room.
“They made a point of asking both of us for our views on Hamas.
“As parents, we felt under investigation from the state for perfectly legitimate perspectives about a terrorist organisation.
“They weren’t even able to answer what ideology they were looking into.”
Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, told GB News: “The counter-terrorism officers appear to have forgotten that Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation under UK law. This means that under UK law Hamas is illegal and should not exist.
“It seems that the boy and his parents are being persecuted for his expressing in colloquial terms what is merely the position under UK law. What next? Will they be probing English Heritage?”
Rory Geoghegan, founder of the Public Safety Foundation, said the alleged investigation should “set alarm bells ringing among police leaders.”
He told this broadcaster: “With a terrorist watchlist of more than 40,000 and hundreds of unknown and unvetted men illegally entering the country via small boats on a daily basis, you’d think our police and security services might have their hands full.
“Yet it is a child who supports the comprehensive defeat of Hamas - a proscribed terrorist group responsible for horrific terrorist atrocities - who is getting a knock at the door from the authorities to have their thinking checked.
“Cases like this should set alarm bells ringing among police leaders. Sadly, too many police leaders appear to simply look the other way when the problematic issues of ‘woke’ social justice activism and ideology are involved.”
Mr Geoghegan, a former police officer, added: “If British policing is to have any sort of positive relationship with the majority of British people by the end of the 2020s, it urgently needs to refocus on the values and principles on which our model of policing was built.”
In a joint statement, Northumbria Police and Counter Terrorism Policing North East told GB News:“We are unable to discuss individual cases, or identify anyone who may or may not be the subject of a Prevent referral. All referrals are treated in the strictest confidence and will always prioritise the safety and welfare of those concerned.
“Prevent is a multi-agency approach to safeguarding and supporting those most at risk of radicalisation through early intervention. It seeks to protect young and vulnerable people against all forms of extremist activity, regardless of ideology.
“Those closest are best placed to spot the signs that someone might be vulnerable to radicalisation. We’d always encourage them to ACT Early so those concerns can be discussed in more detail. Specially trained officers will listen carefully to the concerns and offer any additional support that may be necessary. Receiving support is voluntary and may be used to protect someone who is considered vulnerable and to prevent a situation escalating into something more serious.
“As a Force, Northumbria Police is committed to supporting its diverse communities. We make it our mission to forge strong relationships and we are here to offer support whenever it is needed.”
