‘Punish Him’: TalkTV Hosts Rage Over Tube Driver Who Led ‘Free Palestine’ Chant
A London Tube driver has ignited fury on TalkTV on Monday after leading a chant of “Free Palestine” on a London Underground train over the weekend.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators descended on major cities across the UK to protest the ongoing Israeli military campaign on Gaza, in the wake of Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7th.
TalkTV hosts Kevin O’Sullivan and Mike Graham brought the incident to the fore in a fiery segment.
O’Sullivan began and repeated an account by Wendy Henry, the former editor of the News of the World and a friend. Wendy, who is Jewish, and her husband, had intended to join a pro-Israel demonstration but ended up being a lone voice.
The host said: “She turned out to be the one woman pro Israel demonstrator. But on the way down they’re on the tube packed, it was, suddenly, the driver announces: ‘Go, Go, Go Palestine.’ ‘We stand with Palestine.’ Unbelievable.”
O’Sullivan didn’t hold back on his criticism of Transport For London’s inability to identify the driver and even offered assistance in finding him.
Graham chimed in with similar sentiments, emphasising the unexpected nature of political endorsements on public transport. He said: “Well he needs to be at least told. I think you can expect to get on a tube train without being given… I mean, it’s bad enough when they start telling you jokes and start like reading rhymes and things out. You certainly don’t want them supporting some kind of political situation. Do you?”
“Certainly not,” O’Sullivan said. “And don’t tell us you can’t find him. You can find him. Now, find him and remonstrate with him. Punish him, tell him he can’t do this. It’s outrageous. All of Britain seems to be pro-Palestine. It seems ridiculous. I’ll remind them what happened.”
“Although is it just London?,” Graham asked. “Let’s have a look at the clip though. I think we’ve got the clip from the train, have a look…”
The TalkTV pair then ran video footage of the unexpected call-to-action over the train’s speaker system, which had many passengers responding fervently with, “Palestine.”
Paul Scully, the Minister for London, expressed his indignation on Sunday, advising staff to “focus on the day job”. Scully’s words are a stark warning against further fanning the flames of tension in the capital.
He said: “At a time when there’s not enough emphasis on the difference between the horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas and the legitimate concerns of Palestinians in Gaza, it’s really important that Londoners don’t stoke the tension in our capital where Jews live peacefully alongside Muslims.”
Scully continued: “Informed protest can bring change. But on-trend bandwagons can cause rifts and fear in communities, increasing the threat to the safety of some passengers travelling among those crowds.” He further called on Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, and Transport for London to ensure staff remain focused on their primary task – the safe transit of Londoners.
As the controversy rages on, British Transport Police are actively investigating. Their assistant chief constable, Sean O’Callaghan, acknowledged the existence of the circulating footage and affirmed the force’s commitment to finding out more.
