A CITY muslim has been fined more than £1,000 for an anti police expletive rant in which he called them “Zionists, Israeli pigs”.

Zabier Riasat, aged 37, admitted two counts of racially, religiously aggravated harassment when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court.

Shafquat Reaz, prosecuting, said PC Potter stopped a BMW in Worcester at around 9pm on November 18. When the officer spoke to Riasat he swore at them, before PC Potter informed him he was seizing the vehicle for having no insurance - a matter currently going through courts. Mr Reaz said the offensive and aggressive swearing continued and despite the officer warning him he could be arrested Riasat swore again at them, saying they were only speaking to him “because he was a Muslim”. After being arrested Riasat then called the police pigs, and used vile abusive language at officers.

Mr Reaz added: “The Crown consider it a hate crime.”

Garry Harper, defending, said: “In the cold light of the day Mr Riasat realises what he said on that day was not appropriate.”

Mr Harper explained the context of what happened was that Riasat had protested against the EDL march last year when he was called a Muslim terrorist – which he reported to the police. But he was told by an officer that was the EDL using the freedom of the law and didn’t act on it, something Mr Harper said “was clearly wrong”. He said Riasat, of Stanley Road, had also been written to by Superintendent Damain Pettit saying a dispersal and fixed penalty notice given to him should not have been issued, and had now been taken off the record.

Mr Harper said: “He is a man of good character. As he saw it in the car ‘here are the police here again’. The context is he is not proud of what he said, but nothing happens in a vacuum.”

Judith Hulland, chairman of the magistrates bench, told Riasat that although aware of the context, this was a racially aggravated offence they were dealing with. Riasat was fined £800 for both offences, and told to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and £135 costs - a total of £1,815. An offer to pay this off at a rate of £50 a month was rejected, with magistrates settling on £100 a month. When magistrates said he was free to leave, he asked to speak but the court clerk stopped him saying: “The matter is finished, this is not the place for speeches.”

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