As the old saying goes, tweet in haste, repent at your leisure.
Banner game: the police were criticised for their response to the fans’ very accurate protest
Croydon’s police are certainly repenting that tweet they sent out on Saturday evening after Crystal Palace’s match against Saudi-owned Newcastle United, following a backlash from fans who reminded the boys in blue about freedoms of speech and what is, and what is definitely not, racist.
Inside Croydon reported yesterday how the Met Police had tweeted that it had received a complaint about a protest banner at the Holmesdale End and was investigating. There was more than a suspicion of virtue-signalling going on, as the constabulary seek to demonstrate that they are taking hate crime seriously – but this time, they picked the wrong target.
Yesterday – nearly 48 hours after the police’s ill-advised tweet – the Met’s finest were stood down, having accepted that there was nothing to investigate. It was a view shared even by a local Tory MP and former Home Office junior minister.
Nothing to see here: Tory MP Philp belatedly jumped on the Palace fans’ bandwagon
Using the same social media platform, Croydon police issued an update: “On Saturday, a member of the public contacted us to raise concerns about a banner displayed at the Crystal Palace vs Newcastle match at Selhurst Park.
“Following an assessment, officers have concluded that no offences have been committed. No further action will be taken.”
Chris Philp, the Conservative MP for Croydon South, this morning responded to the police’s announcement. “This is the right conclusion. I’m not sure this needed an investigation to establish though,” he wrote.
Perhaps Philp could recommend that those officers responsible for even considering investigating the banner should be charged with… wasting police time?
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To be fair, they have to investigate what’s reported. And by taking the time to investigate it, they’ve set a clear precedent that it was a waste of time, and was a legitimate, articulate and well-considered demonstration by the Holmesdale Fanatics. All good PR for the cause…
Interestingly here, the key word is Investigate and what that means.
All complaints should be looked at to determine if a crime has been committed, but all crimes and criminal activity should be investigated or so one would assume?
If Commissioner Dick would care to clarify this or refute and give her own opinion everyone in London would love to hear it. Especially those that have been victims of crime and had this ignored or shut quicker than it was recorded.
No the complaint is not the issue here. It is more to the point that the Police felt the need to comment on this particular banner. Why not comment on all the cases closed and publicise the reasoning? This would make stark and shocking reading would it not ?
What is also the point is that Massimo Celli for example was banned due to his Tax Evasion and it being classed as Fraud.
So apparently Tax Fraud is not acceptable for a fit and proper person test.
Now P.I.F is not any person but the state savings and investment bank run by the Crown Prince. It in effect means the State is the Owner of Newcastle. Now Mohammed Bin Salman denies wrongdoing and nothing is evidenced beyond all reasonable doubt that he gave an order, but the state has been found responsible by the UN.
Now like this or not a reasonable conclusion would be that –
The FA fit and proper rules do not allow Tax fraud, but they do allow murderers of Journalists who criticise them for their reprehensible activity? Go figure