Police investigate suspected hate speech by preachers at UK mosques after TalkTV investigation

Three police forces around the country are investigating suspected hate speech by preachers at mosques following a TalkTV investigation. The investigation uncovered footage of preachers in several mosques calling for Jews to be killed and Israel to be destroyed, sparked by the war on Hamas.

Officers from West Midlands Police, the Met Police and Northamptonshire Police are now actively investigating the allegations. This isn’t bound to be the same video TalkTV found but it gives a flavour of the type of preaching.

Prayers at the Northampton Mosque and Islamic Centre, 20 October.

“Victory to Islam.” “Destroy the enemies.”

Heal “from the usurping Jews”.

“Count them and kill them, don’t let any of them survive.”

“Shake the ground under their feet.”

“Make them war booty for the Muslims.” pic.twitter.com/53Lg7mqaFR

— habibi (@habibi_uk) October 30, 2023

Leaked footage from a sermon at the Redbridge Islamic Centre in Ilford shows one speaker praying with his congregation in Arabic to “curse the Jews and the children of Israel.”

The speaker prays: “Oh, Allah, curse the Jews and the children of Israel. Curse the infidels, break their words. Shake their feet. Disperse and tear apart their community and ruin their houses and destroy their homes.”

That Mosque is on the northern pavement of the Eastern Avenue (A12) in Gants Hill. Gants Hill, for most of my life, had a strong Jewish Community.  As Asians started to arrive (and in 1967 this genuinely included Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, many expelled from East Africa) they settled south of Gants Hill in the area round Ilford Lane, and gradually took  houses in and off  The Drive, which were large enough for multi-generational living. When that mosque opened, crossing over the A12, it was a sign that the Muslim community was large enough that they had expanded beyond Cranbrook Road and were entering  the area where the Jewish Community already was.  When this iman calls ‘curse the Jews’ he isn’t cursing unknown people in a distant land; he is cursing the lady who lives over the back. The elderly English pensioners at the Dennis Centre and the Mitkadem. People he sees on the street. His neighbours. My friends.

The recording was translated twice independently.

Another clip from a Liverpool mosque shows a preacher telling his audience: “If two billion Muslims just marched on Israel, it’s all over.”

Mosques in Birmingham and Northampton have been recorded repeating similar rhetoric.

“Heed our hearts regarding the usurping Jews and in every enemy of you and the Muslims. Oh God, limit their number. Kill them indiscriminately and do not leave any of them alive. Oh God, our Lord. Disperse them. Weaken their strength, shake the ground beneath their feet and freeze the blood in their veins. Make them captive to the Muslims.”

Steven Silverman, Campaign Against Antisemitism told TalkTV: “There is no difference between the rhetoric in the Hamas charter and the rhetoric that is on display in these videos. They are utterly hateful. They are violent and they are a threat, both to Jews and non Jews in this country. There is a real risk of more than just one person being encouraged by this rhetoric to go out and take action on the streets, and we’ve seen how bad that can be in the past.

TalkTV has confirmed that police are assessing video evidence from four of the seven mosques we’ve highlighted.

The Charity Commission is also assessing complaints about those which are registered charities.

Redbridge Islamic Centre declined to comment directly to us but previously said it launched an immediate investigation and decided that the Imam will not be allowed to address worshippers again, until it’s concluded. No other mosques responded.