London – Foreign Office diplomat Rowan Laxton has been charged with racially aggravated harassment after allegations that he launched a foul-mouthed anti-Jew tirade at a gym, it has been confirmed.
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Middle East expert Mr Laxton, 48, will appear in court accused of racially aggravated harassment after being formally charged when he answered his police bail.
It is understood he was watching TV reports of the Israeli attack on Gaza earlier this year as he used an exercise bike at the London Business School’s gym in Regent’s Park after work on January 27 this year when stunned staff and gym members allegedly heard him curse Israelis and Jews. It is alleged he also said Israeli soldiers should be “wiped off the face of the earth”.
His rant reportedly continued even after he was approached by other gym users.
A complaint was made to police and Laxton was arrested on suspicion of inciting religious hatred through threatening words and behaviour, (as was reported at that time here on VIN News).
He was bailed while detectives carried out a full investigation and was formally charged when he answered his bail last Friday.
If convicted Mr Laxton, of Cleveland Square in Bayswater, west London, faces a jail term or a fine or both.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “Rowan Laxton, 48, has been charged with racially aggravated harassment contrary to Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and Section 31 (1) (5) of the Crime and Disorder Act, 1998.
“He has been bailed to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court next week.”
Mr Laxton is head of the South Asia Group at the Foreign Office on a salary of around £70,000.
He is responsible for all the UK’s diplomacy in that area and for briefing Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is Jewish.
Laxton has worked extensively in the Middle East – he married a Muslim woman in 2000 – and has been deputy ambassador to Afghanistan.
The UK is no longer a free country. But since it has such unjust and tyrannical laws, at least this antisemite is suffering.
Since Mr. Ex-Lax is a diplomat to Asio, I wonder if he is as upset at what the SriLankans are doing to the Tamil Tigers. Over there, the justification for war is much less than in Gaza and many more civilians are being affected. The silence on that is deafening.
I am amazed that there is still some sense of sanity in Britain. They have been sliding down the greasy pole of terror related desires. This is a surprise to me. Many of us here on VIN are not really against every Moslem on Earth! It is estimated that only ten percent of Moslems are violent and would kill. However that translates to more than 100 million wild people. It is like if I live in an apartment house with 100 residents, and if only ten of them are killers, I am not going to feel too comfortable, unless the other 90 stand up with me against the killers.
I don’t mind or care if this hater is married to a Moslem. I do mind very much that he doesn’t understand what “retaliation” means (about Gaza).
Something’s obviously very wrong here. Britain actually supports a criminal action AGAINST an anti-semite? I don’t believe it!
I wish I could be 5 minutes alone with him.
They shoulda tossed him to the Taliban as a freebie when he was in Afghanistan. then they coulda done to him what they did to Daniel Pearl HY”D.
Millhouse you are unreal!
Last week you curse anyone who follows those poskim who don’t like a mikvah that is built as the chabad shita and free speech was non existent, now you claim free speech for anti semites?
a little strange!!
Send him to Afghanistan!! I am quite sure his wife will not mind!!