The Metropolitan police have apologised unreservedly for dressing one of their “terrorists” in a Cuban flag T-shirt during the recent Operation Strong Tower simulation of a terrorist attack in London.
Complaints were made to the police after the officer, who was also wearing a balaclava and carrying a weapon, was shown on national television on 1 July.
Maxine de Brunner, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, has written to the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, which raised the issue, to offer an official apology.
“I have viewed the footage which has concerned you and others,” she wrote. “Photographs and film do show one of the role actors wearing a T-shirt under their jacket, which shows the flag of Cuba. This was clearly a regrettable error, which I take full responsibility for.”
She added: “The role actor has been spoken to. He genuinely did not think of the significance and implications of wearing a T-shirt with a national flag on it. The impact has been explained, he is genuinely sorry and states there was no intention to cause offence or associate the Cuban people with terrorism.”
De Brunner offered a “sincere and unreserved apology” and said lessons would be learned for future exercises.
Rob Miller, of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, welcomed the apology. “The cruel irony is that, in fact, the Cuban people themselves have been the victims of numerous terrorist attacks from US-based groups over the last 55 years, which have left 3,478 dead and 2,099 disabled,” he said.
“Too often, the small island of Cuba has suffered misrepresentation and misinformation from the anti-Cuban mass media. This incident could further perpetuate such dominant anti-Cuba smears.”
