One of the Met’s most senior officers has commended the calm actions of a police constable who was recently called to respond to complaints from Muslims about a Christian street preacher in London.
Footage of the exchange between PC Moule and members of the Muslim community in Whitechapel went viral after she defended the rights of the preacher to preach in their neighbourhood.
During the exchange, Muslim bystanders could be heard saying "but we live here" and "this is our community" as they pressed her to take action. When one bystander accused the street preacher of inciting hatred, she calmly told him: "He's not."
PC Moule instead told the crowd that the preacher had the right to preach about his religion and that if they did not like what he had to say, they should simply walk on and not listen to him.
She has been widely praised for her cool-headed response, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage saying she deserves recognition.
Speaking on Jeremy Kyle's Breakfast Show on TalkTV, he said: "She deserves to be honoured. I watched that video. She was calm, she was logical. Goodness me, what a credit she was to the Metropolitan Police.
"What a credit she was to herself, and what a credit she was to plain common sense and what we like to think of as a free country. She did absolutely brilliantly. I wish more were like her."
Toby Young of the Free Speech Union had similarly said that she "deserves a medal" and that she should be held up as an example of good practice in future police officer training.
Now the officer has been praised in the London Assembly. Susan Hall, the leader of City Hall’s Conservative group, told Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist: “I particularly want to congratulate you on your female officer, who I think it was in Whitechapel, actually reminded people what the meaning of free speech is.
"I really would like to commend her and I would love to see more police officers actually doing that. I hope you thank her on behalf of very many of us.”
AC Twist replied: “Thank you for noting the great work of PC Moule who was in Whitechapel. It’s been reposted a number of times on differing social media accounts, some more politicised than others.
"My view is it was a good example of officers showing policing common sense without fear or favour and doing a good job.”
The Daily Mail has shared footage of what it says is the street preacher in question being pushed and shouted at by bystanders, and his equipment kicked.
There have been a string of street preacher arrests by police officers after they made unpopular comments about Islam and other topics.
The most recent concerns Dia Moodley who was arrested in Bristol last November on suspicion of inciting religious hatred after he addressed Islam while preaching. He is considering legal action.
