West Midlands Police say two people were arrested during an operation around a pre-planned Birmingham event on 8 February, including a woman detained in Kings Heath on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
West Midlands Police say two people were arrested as part of a policing operation around a pre-planned event in Birmingham.
In a statement, the force said a 35-year-old woman was detained in the Kings Heath area at about 2.30pm on 8 February, after officers stopped the car she was travelling in. Police said she was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
Police said they were acting on information that the woman was due to attend a launch event for the ‘Anti-Zionist Movement’, which they said took place in the Balsall Heath area that afternoon.
The force also said the woman was wanted by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of a Public Order Act offence, as part of a London-based investigation into speeches and social media posts made between May and October last year in London and Birmingham.
West Midlands Police said they maintained a policing presence outside the venue during the event. They said that at about 5pm, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after a member of the public, who had come to observe the event, reported being threatened.
Police said a criminal investigation is continuing into a social media post used to advertise the event.
In their statement, West Midlands Police said they updated local stakeholders before and during the operation, including members of the local Jewish community.
At this stage, police have not released names, nor said whether anyone has been charged. As with any investigation, arrests are not proof of guilt and the legal process will determine what happens next.
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