London police arrest man over campaign posters featuring armed 'Israeli' settler

• London police arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of alleged racially aggravated public order offence over May 2026 posters in Tower Hamlets
• Captioned "Labour’s monsters," the posters depicted an armed Israeli settler jeering at a Palestinian woman to protest Labour's support for 'Israel' in Gaza
• Italian photojournalist Pietro Masturzo took the authentic photo on October 12, 2025, in Idhna, later published by L’Espresso
• An investigation began after a complaint claimed the image used Jewish religious markers as a "monstrous characterisation" inciting hatred against Jews
• The arrest follows UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's September remarks branding settler attacks as state-backed "terrorism" driving ethnic cleansing

London police have arrested a man in alleged connection with the display of political posters featuring an authentic photograph of an armed 'Israeli' settler jeering at a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank, following a complaint alleging the imagery carried 'antisemitic connotations'.

The posters, captioned "Labour’s monsters," depicted an armed man in military uniform taunting a Palestinian woman.

They appeared across London during local elections in May as part of a protest against the Labour Party's support for 'Israel' during the Gaza genocide.

The image used was captured by Italian photojournalist Pietro Masturzo in the occupied Palestinian village of Idhna, west of Hebron, on October 12, 2025—the opening day of the olive harvest.

The photograph subsequently appeared in the April edition of the Italian publication L’Espresso, accompanied by reporting on the expansion of 'Israel's' settler movement and its repercussions for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

“The settler's expression is reflected in the gesture he repeats, mimicking the sound a shepherd makes when gathering his flock, addressing the Palestinians as if they were his own animals,” Masturzo said of the encounter.

L’Espresso also featured testimonies from Palestinians residing in the Jordan Valley, documenting near-daily attacks by settlers frequently backed by 'Israeli' forces.

The police investigation was initiated following a formal complaint.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the complaint characterized the visual as a “monstrous characterisation” of a Jewish man and argued that the picture was “selected to appear menacing.”

The unidentified complainant further claimed that the image was “anchored specifically in Jewish religious identity markers, not Israeli military conduct generally. This stirs up hatred against Jewish people.”

Additionally, the complaint stated that the posters appeared to “frame the Labour Party as acting in the service of Israeli government policy” and suggested that “Labour are complicit in genocide.”

Addressing the enforcement action, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated: “On Thursday, Oct 1, a 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence following an incident in May, 2026, in which a number of anti-Semitic posters were displayed across Tower Hamlets. He was released on bail pending further inquiries.”

The arrest follows remarks made in September by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who described attacks by Jewish settlers as “terrorism” supported by the 'Israeli' state, affirming that settlers are responsible for ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.