PC Ruby Begum, a Metropolitan Police Officer, has been dismissed from the police after having been found guilty of making racist comments, such as using the words "dirty Zionists," on social media.
The Met Police announced on Wednesday that PC Begum was dismissed following a misconduct hearing, which found her to have breached the standards of professional behaviour. Begum is now barred from serving as a police officer.
Begum, a Muslim officer with the Territorial Support Group, was found guilty of gross misconduct, something which she denied, arguing that her comments amounted to simple misconduct.
Evis Samupfonda, the chairman of the investigation, said: “[The posts] are derogatory and abusive, and also show a lack of tolerance for others who do not share the same characteristics as Ms Begum.
“Misconduct would not be far enough. [The tweets] are racist, discriminatory and intolerant. The panel’s decision is gross misconduct.”
The investigation
The investigative team reviewed some 25,000 tweets written by Begum before coming to their conclusion.
Begum admitted that she used discriminatory language against Jewish people and non-Muslims while serving as a special constable.
This included the term “kuffar” meaning Muslim non-believers, and writing that people must be "stupid if [they] think [she's] gonna do 2 mins silence for 9/11.
One post, in 2014, referenced the beheading of Alan Henning at the hands of “Jihadi John”: “You lot saying free Alan Henning. Remember the Muslim brothers and sisters imprisoned by Kuffar.”
In another in 2014, she wrote, "Israel has no limits. Scumbags, I can't wait for the day they get severely punished."
According to the Daily Mail, her comments about Israel and Zionists were prompted by the launching of Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in which Israel took action against Hamas in Gaza.
"Zionists have no hearts! They'll get what's coming to them subhanallah [glory to God]."
In 2015, she Tweeted, "It's alright when Israel does it #Holocaust Remembrance Day."
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, in charge of the Met’s Taskforce, said: “There is absolutely no place within the Met for anyone with racist or otherwise hateful attitudes.
“Those who undermine [our diversity] have no place in the organization. They are not suitable to serve Londoners and will feel the consequences."
Begum, who joined the Met in 2014, posted the "discriminatory and offensive comments" on X/Twitter between 2013 and 2019.
Proceedings against her began in 2021 after the Mail on Sunday published an exclusive piece about her Twitter posts, including “Dirty Zionists. Hell is waiting” and “Zionists have no heart."
Begum was first suspended in 2022.
The original Met Police statement notifying the public of PC Begum's hearing - which has since been deleted - said that she was under investigation not just for the offensive Tweets but because it was "further alleged that PC Begum failed to disclose her association with a female Jihadi living inside the Islamic State caliphate in Syria to the Vetting Unit, along with her alleged interests in the teachings of extremist preachers."
The original exposé in 2021 by the Mail said that Begum communicated with a woman who fled Europe to live in IS, and who defended male terrorists' use of Yazidi women as sex slaves.