A woman in England went viral on social media when she was spotted at a pro-Palestine protest in London with a poster that labelled British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and now-sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman ‘coconuts.’ She was arrested by the Met Police and charged with passing ‘hateful remarks’.
Coconut, commonly used by people of Asian descent, is an insult used to describe a person of colour who may be brown on the outside, but his personal views and political alliances are always with the oppressor. It is not a racist slur.
Twitter users were outraged by the Met Police’s remarks by pointing out racism is rife within pro-Israel supporters, but pro-Palestine supporters were relentlessly targeted for their beliefs.
Not hate crime – misappropriation of ‘coconut’ by institutional racist structures like Police is intentional & solely to push an agenda of White Supremacy.
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) November 12, 2023
Black/Brown ppl call racial gatekeepers like Braverman & Sunak ‘coconut’ for the hate they perpetuate on their communities https://t.co/TXshV7i73y
omg if calling someone a coconut is a criminal offence im finished https://t.co/Vxa4W8p5Q7 pic.twitter.com/p6gBHqIk5z
— ℜ 💌 (@raisvhhh) November 11, 2023
The CEO of the Muslim dating app Muzz App, Shahzad Younas, has appealed to followers to send them the details of the arrested woman and announced that they will be paying her legal fees.
“I believe she has been arrested and charged. If anyone knows her please ask her to get in touch with me.
@muzz_app will pay her legal fees to defend her. This action by the
@metpoliceuk is outrageous. The double standards around free speech to Muslims is baffling.”
I believe she has been arrested and charged.
— Shahzad Younas (@ShahzadYounas_) November 14, 2023
If anyone knows her please ask her to get in touch with me. @muzz_app will pay her legal fees to defend her.
This action by the @metpoliceuk is outrageous.
The double standards around free speech to Muslims is baffling. pic.twitter.com/uzcSCSN4jb
