Man, girl parade outside UK Parl with IS flags

A man paraded past Britain’s Parliament draped in an Islamic State flag with a young girl on his shoulders waving the flag’s smaller version, prompting the Scotland Yard to launch a probe after it was criticised for inaction.

The man was photographed walking past a group of Scouts outside the Houses of Parliament as he wore a large Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) flag on his back. He was carrying a small child on his shoulders, who was waving a smaller flag. 

Police were criticised for failing to arrest the man who was seen wandering near the Parliament and the Big Ben draped in the Islamic State flag on Saturday. However, Metropolitan police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe said that the force will investigate further.

“It may not have been the (ISIS) flag. But I would like to get to the bottom of it and we will investigate it,” he told BBC.

“The law says clearly that if you’re a member of a proscribed organisation which ISIS is, or appear to be, then of course the police can take action. Just having a flag itself, you’ve got to make a few more inquiries,” he said.

The incident sparked outrage on social media with people questioning why there were no legal consequences. “I don’t want to overreact because it may not have been the flag. But I would like to get to the bottom of it,” Hogan-Howe said.

Scotland Yard had earlier said that its officers spoke to the man and considered his actions to be within the Public Order Act 1986.