An ex-Labour councillor has been allowed to maintain up a poster which expresses assist for the banned terrorist group Palestine Motion as it’s "not in public".
Keith Hackett, 71, put up the poster within the entrance window of his Liverpool residence after the Residence Secretary proscribed the group as a terrorist organisation underneath the Terrorism Act on July 5.
After police acquired a criticism concerning the poster, the 71-year-old was visited by Merseyside Cops who instructed him he was not breaking the regulation.
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The ex-Labour councillor's poster learn: "I oppose genocide. I assist Palestine Motion" – the identical message displayed on placards at mass protests in London simply weeks in the past.
It was accompanied by a Palestinian flag and was in view of those that handed his dwelling.
Mr Hackett's daughter had filmed the interplay with the police and posted it on social media.
Within the footage, a police officer was heard saying: "As I'm positive you're conscious, there is no such thing as a offence with it as a result of it's in a personal dwelling, you're allowed to say that. It could solely be an offence if it was in a public place.
"In the event you had been to take that outdoors right into a public place then you definately can be committing an offence."
The officer was additionally heard telling Mr Hackett that "there was nothing to say" that the poster "stirs up racial hatred", which is an offence underneath the Public Order Act.
The 71-year-old instructed The Instances he was "completely gobsmacked" to not have been arrested by Merseyside Police.
He added: "I'd stated: 'Do you thoughts if I get modified earlier than you arrest me?'
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"It's weird. I didn’t count on that to be the case… I'm delighted that's the case, I genuinely imply that – the entire problem of banning Palestine Motion is ludicrous.
"The way in which it’s been achieved in Parliament… with no dialogue, it's insanity."
An insider from the Jewish Board of Deputies instructed the Instances: "If the police say it's advantageous, it's OK with us."
Information of Mr Hackett's run-in with the power got here on the identical day the Metropolitan Police confirmed that 64 folks had been formally notified of expenses and given courtroom dates in relation to expressing assist for the banned group within the capital.
All of these charged underneath the Terrorism Act had been arrested at protests in central London final month.
Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, stated: "The fact for many who have carried out this motion is that they’re now going through severe expenses underneath the Terrorism Act.
"If convicted of such an offence, it might probably have a extreme impression in your life or profession, probably proscribing your means to journey abroad or work in sure professions.
“My message to anybody fascinated by finishing up related motion within the coming weeks is to rethink."