Heathrow staff are allowed to wear Palestine flag badges because it tells travellers they can speak Arabic, say airport bosses
Heathrow staff are allowed to wear Palestine flag badges because it illustrates that they can speak Arabic, the airport bosses have told an angry Jewish passenger.
On May 26, a Jewish passenger had his bag pulled for an extra security check by a female worker wearing one of the badges.
And while staff at the airport aren't allowed to wear political or religious items, the passenger was told the badge was an exception to this rule.
This is because it was used to 'indicate an employee speaks a particular language or dialect from a certain region', according to The Telegraph.
This comes after the Home Office professional standards unit began an investigation into a complaint that Heathrow Border Force staff 'harassed' Israeli passengers arriving in the UK.
Passengers complained that they were targeted after staff noticed the Israeli flag on their luggage and were 'shunted' into a separate room.
When passengers asked why they were being treated differently, staff reportedly told them that as customs officials they could do whatever they wanted.
A Free Palestine badge
The departures hall at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport
After the passenger complained about the flag badge, Heathrow's passenger customer support department replied: 'If a person speaks a language or dialect from a certain region as a secondary/tertiary language, a flag representing the region or country would be present which is provided by Heathrow.'
The Telegraph reported the letter as saying: 'The flag is used to be more easily identifiable from a distance.'
But a spokesperson from UK Lawyers for Israel told the newspaper that passengers would assume staff were Palestine supporters amid the conflict in Gaza.
They said it creates an 'intimidating, hostile, and offensive environment for Jews and Israel supporters'.
It follows Israeli passengers claiming they were subjected to 'degrading treatment'.
The passengers arrived at Heathrow on an El Al flight from Ben Gurion airport and were passing through the airport at 10.30pm when a customs official noticed the Israeli flags on their bags.
The officers ushered the whole group into a separate room for checks and the travellers said their luggage was scanned The Times reported.
Heathrow staff wearing pro-Palestine badges harassed Israeli passengers after noticing an Israeli flag on their luggage as they passed through customs.
The Home Office is investigating the complaints. Staff wearing political badges is in contravention of both the airport's uniform policy and the Equality Act. Pictured is Heathrow
One passenger told the group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) they were walking towards the exit when a customs officer appeared and demanded one of the passengers explain what was on his suitcase.
When the man replied that it was an Israeli flag, the customs officer reportedly told all those on the flight to move to a separate room.
One traveller said that the customs officers had told them they could do whatever they wanted.
They added: 'It was a horrible feeling to be shunted into another room.'
The Home Office is now investigating the incident as staff wearing political badges is in contravention of both the airport's uniform policy and the Equality Act 2010.
According to UKLFI, the security staff engaged in 'unwanted conduct' relevant to a protected characteristic - being Jewish and Israeli and as a result those people were intimidated.
This comes after two survivors of the October 7 attacks were dealt with aggressively by UK Border Force after they had travelled to the UK to raise awareness for a not-for-profit organisation they established to help survivors of the terror attacks.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Complaints regarding Border Force are dealt with in accordance with the Home Office's formal complaint procedures.
'Any complaint about the way in which Home Office staff or contractors' staff carry out their duties is viewed seriously.'
A Heathrow spokesperson said: 'Everyone should feel safe and welcome at Heathrow. We have guidance on what colleagues can wear at work, if that guidance is not followed we will ensure those items are removed immediately.'
Heathrow staff 'wearing pro-Palestine badges' 'harassed' Israeli passengers and subjected them to 'degrading treatment' after customs official 'spotted Israeli flag on their luggage'
Heathrow staff wearing pro-Palestine badges 'harassed' Israeli passengers and subjected them to 'degrading treatment'.
Passengers complained that they were targeted after staff noticed the Israeli flag on their luggage and were 'shunted' into a separate room.
When passengers asked why they were being treated differently, staff reportedly told them that as customs officials they could do whatever they wanted.
The complaints have prompted a Home Office investigation by their professional standards unit.
This comes after two Israeli survivors of the Nova Music Festival attacks were 'detained for two hours' at Manchester Airport earlier this year.
Heathrow staff wearing pro-Palestine badges harassed Israeli passengers after noticing an Israeli flag on their luggage as they passed through customs
The Home Office is investigating the complaints. Staff wearing political badges is in contravention of both the airport's uniform policy and the Equality Act of 2010
The passengers arrived at Heathrow on an El Al flight from Ben Gurion airport and were passing through the airport at 10.30pm when a customs official noticed the Israeli flags on their bags.
The officers ushered the whole group into a separate room for checks and the travellers said their luggage was scanned The Times reported.
One passenger told the group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) they were walking towards the exit when a customs officer appeared and demanded one of the passengers explain what was on his suitcase.
When the man replied that it was an Israeli flag, the the customs officer reportedly told all those on the flight to move to a separate room.
One traveller said that the customs officers had told them they could do whatever they wanted.
They added: 'It was a horrible feeling to be shunted into another room.'
The Home Office is now investigating the incident as staff wearing political badges is in contravention of both the airport's uniform policy and the Equality Act of 2010.
According to UKLFI the security staff engaged in 'unwanted conduct' relevant to a protected characteristic - being Jewish and Israeli and as a result those people were intimidated.
This comes after two survivors of the October 7 attacks were dealt with aggressively by UK Border Force after they had travelled to the UK to raise awareness for a not-for-profit organisation they established to help survivors of the terror attacks.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Complaints regarding Border Force are dealt with in accordance with the Home Office's formal complaint procedures.
'Any complaint about the way in which Home Office staff or contractors' staff carry out their duties is viewed seriously.'
Fury as two brothers who survived Hamas music festival massacre are 'detained for HOURS by aggressive anti-Semitic staff at Manchester Airport - just for being Israeli': Home Office begins probe into 'demeaning' treatment of pair
UK Border Force has been slammed for 'demeaning' two Israeli survivors of the Nova Music Festival who were 'detained for two hours' at Manchester Airport after flying over to speak about their experience.
Footage shows a male Border Force officer speaking in 'aggressive terms' to the two men who had travelled to the UK to raise awareness for a not-for-profit organisation they established to help survivors of the terror attacks.
The pair are said to be suffering from PTSD after Hamas invaded the music festival in Israel on October 7 last year, leading to the rape, torture and murder of more than 1,000 civilians.
In footage posted on X, the Border Force officer says: 'Knock the attitude off. We've made the decision that you're coming in, so just let us do the checks we need to do, and keep quiet.
'Look at me. Are you clear with that? Good. We're the bosses not you.'
Home Secretary James Cleverley has announced on X that the incident is being handled, adding: 'We do not tolerate antisemitism or any form of discrimination.'
The two Israeli men 'do not appear to have been argumentative' towards the officer, according to Marc Levy, the Chief Executive of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region.
Footage shows a male Border Force officer (right) speaking in 'aggressive terms' to two Israeli men who had travelled to the UK to raise awareness about terrorism
In footage posted on X, the Border Force officer says 'Knock the attitude off' before adding 'We're the bosses not you'
James Cleverly has since put a statement up on X saying the incident is being handled
Hamas invaded Nova Music Festival in Israel on October 7 last year (pictured), leading to the rape, torture and murder of more than 1,000 civilians
People are seen fleeing music festival after Hamas's attack in Israel on October 7 last year
A terrorist holding a weapon grabs another man during an attack by Hamas militants on October 7
Mr Levy added that the officer's tone was 'unnecessary and demeaning' towards the two men.
The men - said to be brothers - were allegedly detained for two hours, before the same Border Police officer reportedly said 'they had to make sure you are not going to do what you are doing in Gaza over here'.
In a letter to Manchester Airport Group, Mr Levy wrote: 'We unequivocally condemn the fact that Israeli nationals were detained and subjected to abuse by a Border Police Officer.
'The comment beyond their release proves beyond any doubt that this individual was motivated by antisemitic intent.'
He added: 'The only reason for their detention and interrogation was because they are Israeli.'
According to Mr Levy, the two men were attending the music festival when terrorists started murdering civilians.
'Instead of fleeing, the brothers, one of whom is a medic, remained at the festival site to save others, combat the terrorists and treat the wounded,' Mr Levy wrote.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the complaint made against Border Force staff at Manchester Airport and are investigating these claims.
'While the facts and circumstances are being established, it must be reiterated that we do not tolerate antisemitism, in any forms, anywhere.'
Horrifying new report into October 7 rapes reveals how survivors walked through 'an apocalypse of bodies' missing body parts, while one victim had a GRENADE inserted into her genitals - and details 'sadistic' methods Hamas used to maximise suffering
Hamas terrorists raped and mutilated Israeli civilians, leaving an 'apocalypse of bodies' which were missing limbs at the site of the Nova music festival as gunmen swept through southern Israel on October 7, a harrowing new report has claimed.
The horrific report details 'sadistic' crimes alleged to have occurred at the festival, in surrounding villages, on IDF bases and in captivity in Gaza.
It describes the violence endured by men and women, some of whom were killed while they were being brutalised, as others were made to watch the sexual abuse of their friends and family members before being murdered.
The chilling report from the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel was presented to the UN Special Envoy on Sexual Violence in Conflict Areas.
An overview of the findings states: 'Hamas terrorists employed sadistic practices aimed at intensifying the degree of humiliation and terror inherent in sexual violence. 'Many of the bodies of sexual crime victims were found bound and shackled.
'The genitals of both women and men were brutally mutilated, and sometimes weapons were inserted into them. The terrorists did not stop at shooting, they also cut and mutilated sexual organs and other body parts with knives.'
The testimonies included claims Hamas gunmen repeatedly stabbed an injured woman while they raped her; that victims had nails, grenades and knives inserted into their sexual organs; and how survivors fleeing the festival witnessed 'girls whose pelvises were simply broken from being raped so much'.
A kindergarten in Kibbutz Be'eri, after the October 7 attacks
The kindergarten in Be'eri after Hamas gunmen swept through the kibbutz on October 7
The report concluded that Hamas insurgents operated systematically to target both women and men in villages and kibbutzim during the assault, executing victims during or after instigating sexual abuse.
Orit Sulitzeanu, CEO of ARCCI, claimed partners, family and friends were forced to watch horrific acts performed often in groups to 'increase the pain and humiliation for all present'.
The ARCCI report, looking at documented cases of abuse on and since October 7, concluded that Hamas' attack 'included violent acts of rape, accompanied by threats with weapons, and in some cases targeted towards injured women'.
The authors noted that rape was 'often' perpetrated in front of an audience, including partners, families or friends, in order to 'increase the pain and humiliation of all present'.
Young men and women fleeing the Nova festival were 'hunted' and dragged by their hair, screaming, according to witness testimonies. In most cases, they were killed after or during their rape.
One survivor of the Nova festival said the aftermath was an 'apocalypse of bodies, girls without clothes, some missing their upper, some their lower parts'.
The mutilation of bodies has been documented before. The report made reference to the story of a woman at the festival whose breast was cut off with a box cutter before her assailants threw it on the floor 'and passed it between them like a toy'.
Another described fleeing the site and seeing a woman lying on her stomach near the road without pants or underwear, her legs apart. Her genitalia was described as looking 'as if someone tore her apart'.
Another survivor said they saw women tied to trees, mutilated with 'all their organs cut, damaged' and 'iron rods inserted into their sexual organs'.
Yoni Saadon, a survivor who witnessed the rape of a young woman enduring severe violence, recounted a victim crying out: 'Stop it - already I'm going to die anyway from what you are doing, just kill me!'
The witness said 'when they finished they were laughing and the last one shot her in the head'.
One witness said she saw a young woman with a back injury, her trousers pulled down below her knees, being raped by one terrorist as another 'pulled from her hair'.
'Each time the woman resisted, the terrorist stabbed her in the back.'
In another case, she said she saw how while one terrorist was raping a woman, another cut into her and mutilated her body.
Raz Cohen and Shoham Gueta, survivors who hid from Hamas at the festival, said they saw terrorists raping a young woman as they stabbed her repeatedly, 'literally butchering her'.
Multiple witnesses reported seeing men who had been shot in the genitalia, or had sexual organs 'cut off'.
A paramedic attending the scene said: 'There were a lot of gun wounds there. Shooting was targeted at sexual organs. We saw that a lot. They had a thing with sexual organs'.
ARCCI also reported how family members, partners and friends in raided homes were forced to watch sexual abuse before their murders.
The positions bodies were found in indicated some had been made to watch the abuse and murder of their partners, the report suggested.
The authors said there was a 'pattern' that 'emerged clearly' in testimonies.
In one case, a mother's body was found by search and rescue teams, her hands tied behind her back with signs of struggle.
The body of her daughter, a girl or young woman, was found in the next room with her pants and underwear rolled down.
An IDF paramedic recovered the bodies of two girls from another building, one found sexually abused with a knife in her genitals. They said one of the girls was found with the remains of semen on her back.
A woman reacts during a press conference at the Nova music festival site on January 5, 2024 in Re'im, Israel
Sexual assaults have been reported by numerous eye-witnesses and first-responders of the October 7 attacks.
In kibbutzim, women and girls were attacked by Hamas gunmen during their assault.
In one case a knife had been hidden in the genitals of a victim.
Soldiers on IDF bases were also reported victims of sexual violence, as well as hostages returning from captivity.
In December, images shown to the New York Times showed what Israeli authorities said was a woman who had dozens of nails driven into her thighs and genitals in a savage example of mutilation.
Other clips displayed the corpses of soldiers and civilians alike who had been either shot or stabbed in the groin.
Another dark image dubbed 'the woman in the black dress' showed the corpse of an Israeli later identified as Gal Abdush.
She is seen splayed on the floor, legs wrenched apart with her vagina exposed, and covered in burns. Her lifeless body was crumpled in the dirt next to the husk of a heavily damaged car riddled with bullet holes.
Earlier that month, as hostages returned from captivity in Gaza, it was reported at least ten male and female hostages held by Hamas had been sexually abused before being freed.
A medic claimed men and women had been physically abused while held hostage, after treating some of the 110 released as part of a week-long truce in late November.
'They touch girls, and everyone knows it,' one hostage later told local media. 'I won't recount details, but we had a procedure that no one moves without someone guarding them.'
Yelena Trufanov, a Russian citizen released separately in a nod to Vladimir Putin, described her fears as Israeli airstrikes rained down on the besieged enclave. 'You have no idea what you're doing there... and I know the conditions they're holding the men in are worse, worse than for the women.'
In November, Israeli police said they were investigating 'several cases' of alleged sexual violence against women by Hamas, citing 'multiple witnesses' to incidents of rape.
Police said they had been gathering evidence about allegations of sexual violence from witnesses, surveillance footage and the interrogations of Palestinians arrested since Hamas' incursion into Israel last month.
Police also shared testimony from a survivor of the attack at the Supernova music festival, who described seeing a woman gang-raped before being shot.
Haaretz reports the witness told officers of how she watched the shocking attack unfold as she hid from Hamas gunmen wearing military uniforms.
'As I am hiding, I see in the corner of my eye that [a terrorist] is raping her,' the witness told investigators. 'They bent her over and I realised they were raping her and simply passing her on to the next [gunman].'
The witness said the victim was 'alive' and 'on her feet and bleeding from her back. But then the situation was that he was pulling her hair. She had long, brown hair.'
The woman told officers one of the Hamas gunmen 'shot her in the head while he was raping her... didn't even lift his pants'.
Her testimony was one of thousands of pieces of evidence gathered by the police.
Another male witness said he didn't see the rape itself, but confirmed the other witness told him at the time what she had seen.
David Katz, head of the Lahav 443 criminal investigation unit, said: 'We have no living victims who said "we have been raped"', but, he said, 'we have multiple witnesses for several cases'.
While he did not give a precise figure for the number of cases under investigation, Katz said the inquiry could take 'six to eight months'.
An Israeli officer walks on the ground of the Super Nova Festival in Re'im, Israel, 17 October
A bloodied woman is apparently taken hostage as other men cheer, in this still from a video
Katz also outlined details of other evidence collected by police, including from the ZAKA organisation, which recovers human remains in accordance with Jewish religious law to afford them a proper burial.
'We have several statements from people from ZAKA who saw the bodies of women without pants or underwear,' he said.
'We took more than 1,000 statements and some of the victims cannot speak due to being in psychological and medical treatment,' he said.
'Hamas terrorists gang-raped Israeli woman before one shot her in the back of the head as he was still having sex with her': Horrifying account revealed as police gather evidence of sex assaults during October 7 attack
- Israeli police are collecting evidence to prosecute captured Hamas terrorists
Hamas terrorists gang-raped an Israeli woman before one shot her in the back of the head while he was still having sex with her, according to horrifying witness testimony.
Israel's Lahav 433, a crime-fighting umbrella organisation known as the 'Israeli FBI', has been working to gather evidence of sexual assaults during the incursion.
The investigations are part of the force's effort to prosecute Hamas terrorists who were captured during the attack on October 7, which left more than 1,400 Israelis dead.
Investigators say interviews with suspects have revealed that they planned to reach the centre of Israel as well as take control of a settlement for an extended period of time, while taking the residents hostage and planting mines in the area, local newspaper Haaretz reports.
However, this plan was thwarted by Israeli security forces, reserve units and civilian groups who fought back against the Hamas invaders, the report says.
A picture taken in a house in the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 31 shows a bloody hand print on the wall after the October 7 attack
Destroyed houses are seen in kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 27, in the wake of Hamas's attack. Israel 's Lahav 433, a crime-fighting umbrella organisation known as the 'Israeli FBI ', has been working to gather evidence of sexual assaults during the incursion
While gathering evidence, Lahav 433 also took testimony from a woman who said she witnessed the gang-rape and murder of another young woman.
Haaretz reports the witness told officers of how she watched the shocking attack unfold as she hid from Hamas gunmen wearing military uniforms.
'As I am hiding, I see in the corner of my eye that [a terrorist] is raping her,' the witness told investigators. 'They bent her over and I realised they were raping her and simply passing her on to the next [gunman].'
The witness says the victim was 'alive' and 'on her feet and bleeding from her back. But then the situation was that he was pulling her hair. She had long, brown hair.'
The woman told officers one of the Hamas gunmen 'shot her in the head while he was raping her... didn't even lift his pants'.
Her testimony has been reported in a number of Israeli news outlets. It was one of thousands of pieces of evidence gathered by the police.
Another male witness said he didn't see the rape itself, but confirmed the other witness told him at the time what she had seen.
Until now, reports of sexual violence carried out by Hamas terrorists were based on testimonies from first responders, who arrived in settlements on October 7 in the aftermath of the attacks.
Once there, they said they found bodies of naked women, with signs of abuse.
Zaka rescue and recovery personnel, the ultra-Orthodox volunteer organisation that helped to retrieve and identify bodies, have detailed a number of atrocities, including sex attacks.
It is understood that Shin Bet (the Israel Security Agency) and the police have held hundreds of people suspected of being involved in the massacre in custody.
Under Israeli emergency regulations, they need only be brought before a court every 45 days, with Israeli officers working to piece together the events of October 7.
Police seized the explosives they carried into Israel.
Until now, reports of sexual violence carried out by Hamas terrorists were based on testimonies from first responders, who arrived in settlements on October 7 in the aftermath of the attacks. Pictured: A burned house in kibbutz Nir Oz
Investigators say interviews of the suspects have revealed that Hamas gunmen planned to reach the centre of Israel as well as take control of a settlement for an extended period of time, take the residents hostage and plant mines in the area, Haaretz reported
Haaretz reports that a senior police source has said most of the suspects have admitted their part in the atrocities, while a few have denied their involvement.
It said a few claimed they entered Israel looking for work.
The publication said that Israel's State Prosecutor's Office is intending to prosecute the Hamas terrorists for crimes committed during the massacre, even without evidence tying them to a specific act.
Israel plans to charge them with being party to the crimes through the participation in the assault across the border from Gaza, and attacks on civilians and soldiers.
Haaretz says anyone found to have been in a specific community will be charged with cases of murder, rape and abuse in other communities too.
However, the Israeli publication says efforts to link suspects to specific crimes have been harder because many bodies weren't photographed due to the condition they were found in, and the chaos in the aftermath of the attack.
In addition to collecting testimonies from survivors, police are scanning 50,000 video files to identify specific suspects, with the help of facial recognition software.
It is understood police have managed to connect some suspects to murders.
One suspect said he had murdered a man with a hammer and described a tattoo on a woman's body. Investigators located the woman, who was injured but not killed, as well as the man's body with wounds that might have been caused by a hammer.
Mourners attend the funeral of husband and wife Meni and Ayelet at Palmachim cemetery on October 29. The couple were killed by Hamas gunmen in the attack on October 7
Biden rips Hamas for 'repeatedly raping' women and girls and 'mutilating their bodies while they were still alive': President launches scathing attack on atrocities by terrorist group
- Biden spoke of 'unimaginable cruelty' during Hamas Oct. 7 attack
- He spoke after a series of reports about rapes and mutilation of bodies
- Biden blasted Hamas for continuing to hold female civilian hostages
'Let me say a few words about what's going on in Israel. The terror that Hamas is continuing to inflict on the Israeli people,' Biden said. 'We had a report in the earliest days that Hamas used rape to terrorize women and girls during the attack on October the 7th in Israel.
'Survivors and witnesses of the attacks have shared the horrific accounts of unimaginable cruelty. Reports of women raped — repeatedly raped — and their bodies being mutilated while still alive — of women corpses being desecrated, Hamas terrorists inflicting as much pain and suffering on women and girls as possible and then murdering them. It is appalling,' he said.
President Joe Biden spoke about 'unimaginable cruelty' and referenced reports of Hamas fighters raping Israeli women during the October 7 attack. He blasted Hamas for walling away from a humanitarian pause and continuing to hold hostage civilian women
Biden, who helped author the Violence Against Women Act while serving in the Senate, called ending sexual assault 'one of the causes of my life.'
He said the burden was on 'all of us' to 'forcefully condemn the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists without equivocation. Without equivocation, without exception.'
'These are civilian women, mostly between the ages of 20 and 39, whom Hamas has refused to let go.'
He spoke after a series of independent media reports catalogued evidence of rape by Hamas during the October 7 attack.
Then he echoed comments from his national security advisor on Monday about the hostage situation.
'Let me be crystal clear: Hamas' refusal to release the remaining young women is what ended the pause in the fighting,' the president said. '
'Those women and everyone still being held hostage by Hamas need to be returned to their families immediately. We're not going to stop — we're not going to stop until we bring every one of them home and it's going to be a long process.'
The White House said it was 'gravely concerned' about the women civilian hostages who remain captive inside Gaza.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized the plight of civilian women seized during the Hamas October 7 raid. There are also Israeli military women being held captive.
He was asked during the White House briefing about Hamas' unwillingness to release the balance of civilian women being held in Gaza.
'I'm not going to speculate on that, only to say that they haven't done it, and we're gravely concerned about that.'
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the administration was 'gravely concerned' about the plight of female hostages still held inside Gaza
His comments following new reporting from eyewitnesses about the rape of Israeli men and women during the Oct. 7 raid.
'Hamas continues to hold women and civilian women and will not release them.'
No comments:
Post a Comment