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A Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed without notice after a disciplinary panel found she had posted offensive comments online targeting Jewish and non-Muslim people. Ruby Begum, 29, faced a police misconduct hearing where she admitted to using terms like “dirty Zionists” while serving as a special constable. Despite Begum's admission of using such language, she denied that her actions constituted gross misconduct.

 

 

Begum admitted to using the term “kuffar” to describe non-Muslims and acknowledged making offensive remarks related to the September 11 terror attacks. After reviewing her case, the Met's misconduct panel concluded that her actions did indeed amount to gross misconduct, citing that Begum had violated standards of professional behavior related to equality and diversity. The panel was informed that she posted around 25,000 tweets on her account, dating from 2013 to 2019.

 

The hearing revealed that Begum’s Twitter posts included derogatory comments about Jewish people, such as “Dirty Zionists. Hell is waiting” and “Zionists have no heart.” When asked to explain these posts, Begum stated that her comments were intended to criticize the Israeli government in relation to Palestinian casualties, not to offend Jewish individuals. She argued, “If I was describing Jewish people, I would just say Jewish people. I have nothing against Jewish people. I have no hate towards that group.”

 

Begum also explained her posts on the September 11 attacks, asserting that her remarks were a reaction to the Islamophobic abuse that emerged after the attacks rather than an attempt to disrespect those who had died. During the hearing, Begum argued that her actions were a case of simple misconduct, suggesting that a final warning would be an appropriate outcome.

 

Reflecting on her posts, Begum described her past behavior as “silly” and immature, attributing it to her younger self nearly a decade ago. She told the panel, “I was silly. It was almost 10 years ago and I’ve developed a lot through the police. It looks bad on paper, and I can see how immature I was … I made a mistake which I’m sorry for.” She shared that she had been raised in a Muslim household in East London and admitted that her “narrow-minded” perspective at the time was shaped by her upbringing in a “bubble.”

 

However, the panel viewed her posts as “appalling,” “derogatory,” and “abusive.” The panel also dismissed Begum’s claims of immaturity, emphasizing that she was an adult and an active member of the police force at the time. Additionally, it noted that Begum had participated in two rounds of equality and diversity training, first in 2014 when she became a special constable and again in 2016 after becoming a full-time constable.

 

Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove from the Met expressed his stance on the case, stating, “There is absolutely no place within the Met for anyone with racist or otherwise hateful attitudes.” He added, “We are working hard to build a culture where anyone can feel welcome and thrive. Those who undermine these goals have no place in the organization. They are not suitable to serve Londoners and will feel the consequences.”

 

As a result of the hearing, Begum has been added to the barred list maintained by the College of Policing, preventing her from rejoining the police force in the future.

 

Based on a report from the BBC 2024-10-26

 

 

 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

Well this is a surprise, but excellent news none the less!

She fully deserved being fired!

[Chomper Higgot]

Posting hate online follows hate monger to work with a very desirable outcome.