Prominent mosque chairman who praised Hamas founder invited to dinner with London’s Met police: Report
Prominent mosque chairman Mohammed Kozbar in the United Kingdom who had praised the founder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was invited to a dinner hosted by London Met’s commissioner, reported the Sunday Telegraph, on Saturday (Dec 9).
The event was hosted months after Kozbar’s remarks about the Hamas founder, raising questions about Met’s links to activists amid criticism over its response to the pro-Palestinian protests in London.
The British capital city like many major cities across the world has witnessed pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israel rallies since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. In the UK several people at pro-Palestinian rallies have been detained for raising antisemitic slogans.
Kozbar attended an evening event alongside senior Met officers in July, according to a report by The Telegraph, five months after he praised Hamas’ founder as “the master of the martyrs of the resistance” and was cited in the official counter-extremism review.
When asked by the British media about Kozbar’s presence at Scotland Yard, Met police’s headquarters, the London police force told the Telegraph, “We can confirm that Mr Mohammed Kozbar is a member of the London Muslim Communities Forum.”
The event was reportedly organised by the London Muslim Communities Forum or LMCF, a Met “strategic advisory body” and was also addressed by Attiq Malik, a hard-left activist who led the LMCF until November.
The Sunday Telegraph also revealed that he had been filmed chanting “from the river to the sea” and railing against “global censorship by the Zionists”.
Hamas launched one of the deadliest attacks on Israel, on October 7, killing at least 1,200 people and taking around 240 people as hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has since retaliated with constant bombardment of Gaza and a ground operation which according to the Hamas-run government and health ministry has killed more than 17,700 people.
Amid the mounting death toll in Gaza, the Israeli government has faced pressure and criticism to minimise civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave.
Earlier this year, an official review of Prevent, the government’s counter-extremism programme, raised concerns that the London branch of the National Association of Muslim Police had praised Kozbar despite evidence that he had “previously supported the founder…of Hamas.”
The Telegraph, citing an image of the event on July 7 said Malik and Kozbar were seen having a conversation which was attended by around 50 representatives of the Muslim community in London to mark Eid.
The Met police has since cut ties with Malik saying that some “past language and views” were “contrary with our values”.
Meanwhile, Kozbar, who chairs the Finsbury Park mosque in north London and is deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain in recent posts on X has repeatedly accused Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza.
Hamas was proscribed by the UK in March 2001, according to the British government’s website.
In response to The Telegraph’s recent report, Kozbar claimed that he was being subjected to “repeated attempts to smear me as I pursue work to foster better community relations”.
He added, “I condemn the targeting of all civilians, whoever they are. It is criminal to indiscriminately murder innocent men, women, and children.”
The mosque chairman also told The Telegraph, that he supports “the Palestinian people and their quest for freedom, as clearly expressed as a basic right within international law”.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
Wionews
About The Author
