A Pro-Palestinian group is under investigation by police over an advert in which it declared it was ‘unapologetically pro Armed Resistance’.
The Anti-Zionist Movement (AZM) made the claim in a post on its Instagram account announcing its upcoming launch event.
The Birmingham-based organisation described itself as ‘a Palestinian-led grassroots movement that’s unapologetically anti-zionist [sic], Pro Armed Resistance, upholds the Thawabet [sic] [and] campaigns against Jewish Supremacy’.
The Thawabit refers to the founding principles of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the political group which governs the Palestinian territories.
The AZM initially deleted the post before reposting it with a caption not mentioning ‘Pro Armed Resistance’ – but its profile was soon taken down completely.
The newly founded group was set to launch on Sunday at an arts centre in the Balsall Heath area of the West Midlands city.
But the event has since been cancelled, The Times reports, after the organisation was reported to police for promoting violence.
The Old Print Works, where it was set to take place, pulled out this week, saying it could not guarantee a ‘safe space’ for attendees.
The Anti-Zionist Movement (AZM) made the claim in a post (pictured) on its Instagram account announcing its upcoming launch event
The group’s launch event was set to feature a programme of controversial speakers previously accused of anti-Zionism and antisemitism, including Dr Rahmeh Aladwan (pictured, arriving for her medical tribunal last year), an NHS doctor who was arrested last month for allegedly expressing support for Hamas
Another speaker set to appear at the event was Professor David Miller (pictured outside his employment tribunal in 2023), who was sacked by the University of Bristol in 2021 for alleged anti-Semitism
West Midlands Police has now opened a criminal investigation into potential offences committed with the AZM’s Instagram post, after officers were alerted on Thursday.
Elsewhere on the AZM’s profile, they called for ‘liberation via zio eradication’, asking: ‘Can you TRULY be for the liberation of Palestine if you were not Anti-zionist [sic]?’
The group’s launch event was set to feature a programme of controversial speakers previously accused of anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
Among them were Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, an NHS doctor who was arrested last month for online posts made in November of December last year allegedly expressing support for Hamas, which is proscribed in the UK.
It was the fourth time the trainee trauma and orthopaedics surgeon had been detained since October, when she was first arrested for ‘malicious communication times three and for inciting racial hatred’.
She is also currently the subject of an investigation by the General Medical Council.
Dr Aladwan was suspended from practice for 15 months in November over a series of alleged anti-Semitic and pro-terrorism remarks online.
She wrote in a collection of posts on X of a ‘Jewish supremacy’ and called Israelis ‘worse than Nazis’, and allegedly showed support for Hamas and its attacks on Israel on October 7.
Others labelled Britain’s chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis ‘Rabbi Genocide’ and claimed the wide media attention following the Manchester synagogue attack, in which two men died and others were injured, was an example of ‘Jewish supremacism’.
Just hours before her latest arrest, she referred to a female Palestinian suicide bomber and her son, who was killed during in the October 7 attacks, as ‘martyrs’.
The British-Palestinian doctor appeared at her medical tribunal wearing a gold necklace with a number seven charm on it.
She has previously shared photos of the necklace online, describing it as ‘celebratory jewellery’.
Dr Aladwan has previously defended the AZM’s Instagram post, saying: ‘There is nothing unlawful about being unapologetically pro-armed resistance.’
She added Palestinians’ right to this position was protected by international law.
Another speaker set to appear at the event was Professor David Miller, who was sacked by the University of Bristol in 2021 for alleged anti-Semitism.
Jewish students had complained he made them feel ‘uncomfortable and intimidated’ with a series of remarks he made while in post as a sociology lecturer.
The first was made in 2019 after he gave a lecture describing the ‘Zionist movement’ as one of the ‘five pillars of Islamophobia’.
On the Electronic Intifada website, he also wrote: ‘There is a real question of abuse here, of Jewish students on British campuses being used as political pawns by a violent, racist foreign regime engaged in ethnic cleansing.’
Professor Miller was set to be joined by his Press TV colleague Latifa Abouchakra (pictured), who has previously described the October 7 attacks as a ‘moment of triumph’
It is the latest development in a controversial debate in Birmingham about the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, after offices banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the club’s match against Aston Villa in November. Pictured: Pro-Palestine activists gather outside the stadium to protest Maccabi Tel Aviv’s presence
In an ‘on the record’ email to Ben Bloch, a student and news editor of The Bristol Tab university newspaper, the professor said: ‘Zionism is and always has been a racist, violent, imperialist ideology premised on ethnic cleansing.
‘It is an endemically anti-Arab and Islamophobic ideology. It has no place in any society.’
He was later found to have been unfairly dismissed at a landmark employment tribunal, which ruled anti-Zionism is a legally protected characteristic.
Professor Miller travelled to Lebanon last year to cover the funeral of ex-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for Iranian state-owned Press TV.
The academic, who also taught at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Bath, was questioned by counterterrorism police for more than three hours upon returning to the UK.
He has also previously called for Israel to be abolished and spoken of conspiracy theories of ‘Zionist’ influence in Britain.
Professor Miller was set to be joined by his Press TV colleague Latifa Abouchakra, who has previously described the October 7 attacks as a ‘moment of triumph’.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: ‘We’re aware of an event which had been due to take place at a venue in Balsall Heath on Sunday.
‘We are also aware that the venue has since announced that it will not be hosting the event. Our officers continue to work to understand the plans of the event organisers.
‘We have started a criminal investigation into potential offences within a social media message which has been used to promote the event.’
The force has found itself under scrutiny in recent months over its approach to debate in Birmingham about the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Officers banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the club’s match against Aston Villa in November, which caused widespread public outcry.
The ensuing controversy saw chief constable Craig Guildford forced to step down, saying his retirement was in the best interests ‘of the organisation, myself and my family’.
West Midlands Police, the AZM, Dr Aladwan, Professor Miller and Ms Abouchakra have been contacted for comment.
