Met Police detective dismissed after misconduct panel finds Gaza social media posts breached antisemitism definition

An anonymous tip to the Metropolitan Police’s internal whistleblowing service set in motion a misconduct investigation that has ended with a detective sergeant losing her position over a series of social media posts about the conflict in Gaza.
Rebecca Collens, who served within the Road and Transport Policing command, was reported through the force’s Right Line service in May 2024. Her private Instagram account, which had more than 100 followers, contained multiple posts relating to the war that ultimately attracted the attention of the force.
A misconduct panel examined the posts and reached conclusions on two principal grounds: that the material was collectively “overtly political” and that one specific post satisfied the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.
The post at the centre of the antisemitism finding involved imagery comparing Nazi concentration camps with the situation in Gaza. Ms Collens accompanied the shared content with a comment stating that “the abused becomes the abuser.” The panel established that the word “abused” referred to Jewish people rather than the State of Israel, which did not exist during the Holocaust, placing the remark within the IHRA’s recognised definition.
The remaining posts examined by the panel included material describing the Gaza conflict as genocide, content criticising Israeli military operations in Syria and Lebanon, a graphic drawing comparisons between child casualties in Auschwitz and Gaza, and commentary from Ms Collens regarding restrictions placed on ceasefire demonstrations.
Collectively, the panel determined the posts “demonstrated a lack of impartiality and presented a one-sided view of the Gaza conflict during a time of heightened public controversy” following the events of 7 October 2023.
During the hearing Ms Collens stated her motivation had been to highlight suffering in Gaza, describing her feelings as “guilt, helplessness, heartbreak and pain.” She told the panel she had no intention to cause offence or disrespect towards the Jewish faith and expressed being “horrified” at the conclusion that her post was antisemitic.
The panel acknowledged her stated intentions but ruled that the post remained antisemitic “whether or not the officer had appreciated at the time it would be considered so.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith stated that Ms Collens’ conduct was “wholly unacceptable,” adding that the force was actively building a culture where “anyone can feel welcome in the Met.”
The Metropolitan Police’s Right Line whistleblowing service remains operational for both officers and members of the public to report conduct concerns, with the force continuing to apply its standards of impartiality to serving officers’ social media activity.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​