From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 23, 2023
London train driver suspended for leading ‘Free Palestine’ chant on intercom
A train driver on London’s underground was suspended Monday for apparently leading passengers in a chant of “free, free Palestine,” transport officials says.
The driver has been temporarily removed from duty pending further investigation, Transport for London (TfL) — which runs the metro network — says in a statement.
The incident happened on Saturday as about 100,000 protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the British capital.
Video footage that circulated on social media appears to show the driver saying “free, free” over the train’s tannoy system.
Passengers in a packed carriage then respond by shouting “Palestine.”
The chant is popular at demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians.
London tube driver is suspended after he appears to lead passengers in chant of 'free, free Palestine' over train's speaker system during weekend pro-Palestinian protest https://t.co/LVlPYtzEYs pic.twitter.com/VBzKHWfLHf
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) October 23, 2023
“We have been urgently and thoroughly investigating the footage appearing to show a Tube driver misusing the PA system and leading chants on a Central line train on Saturday,” Glynn Barton, TfL’s chief operating officer, says.
“A driver has now been identified and suspended whilst we continue to fully investigate the incident in line with our policies and procedures.”
Britain’s security minister, Tom Tugendhat, had written on X (formerly Twitter) that many will have found the video “intimidating.”
Israel’s embassy in Britain said it was “deeply troubling to see such intolerance” on London’s underground.
