Overview

• An unidentified woman was filmed cutting yellow ribbons from railings in Muswell Hill, telling bystanders the display was condoning genocide and asserting she was not committing a crime.
• Witnesses confronted the woman and reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police, and locals later re-tied the ribbons to the fence.
• The Met said officers attended the location after becoming aware of the video and are reviewing footage to determine if hate crime or criminal damage offences occurred, with enquiries ongoing.
• Yellow ribbons have been used internationally to symbolize support for people taken hostage on 7 October 2023, with reporting stating 251 were abducted and that about 48 remain held, roughly 20 believed alive.
• The confrontation came on the eve of the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks and days after the Heaton Park synagogue killings, a backdrop that has heightened community sensitivity and policing attention.