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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Samuel Osborne

Man who 'confronted Muslim woman' over Brussels criticises 'foolish' police after arrest

The man who was charged by police after posting on Twitter about confronting a Muslim woman over the Brussels attacks jplans to launch a formal complaint against the Metropolitan Police.

Matthew Doyle posted a message on Twitter on Wednesday which read: “I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels.

"She said 'Nothing to do with me'. A mealy mouthed reply."

Scotland Yard said on Friday the 46-year-old was no longer charged with the offence and would not be appearing in court.

Guidance about racist and religious crime on the Crown Prosecution Service website states a charge under the the Public Order Act can only be made with the consent of the attorney general, and adds that a referral must be made to the counter-terrorism division.

Criticising the Metropolitan Police, Mr Doyle told the Guardian: "In reality, the Met added ammunition to whatever I said.

"Concurrently, their press office should be cautioned about issuing largely self-congratulatory statements and then being forced to backtrack.”

“They smelt blood, but got egg on both their face and reputation.”

When asked if he regretted his tweets, he added: “I said how I felt at that moment in time. If anyone fanned the flames, it was the nameless Twitter trolls who smelt a lynching on their hands.

“For the Met to bow to social media rows, it is not only foolish of them but I will be making a complaint against them and [claiming for] damages for trashing my flat, taking all my electronic stuff from my flat and forcing me to leave London.”

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