Thameslink has launched an internal investigation following a complaint by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) about a railway employee who denied Hamas atrocities and threatened to eject a Jewish passenger.

The investigation was confirmed by John Whitehurst, Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), in an email to UKLFI on 14 October 2026.

Mr Whitehurst wrote: “We treat allegations of this nature very seriously and we have therefore started an internal investigation into this matter.”

He added that the company would not comment on individual employee cases but would respond, where appropriate, to the points raised by UKLFI.

The investigation follows an incident at approximately 9:20pm on 9 October 2026, when a Jewish passenger noticed a Thameslink employee at Farringdon Station wearing a badge displaying the Palestinian flag, the slogan “Palestine Solidarity” and the letters “RMT”, referring to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

When the passenger questioned whether it was appropriate for railway employees to wear political badges while on duty, another staff member, who identified himself as a manager, defended the badge as a “human rights badge”. The employee then stated that he did not support Israeli human rights because Israelis were “busy slaughtering civilians”.

He went on to make offensive claims about the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, including that most Israelis killed that day had been killed by Israeli forces rather than Hamas terrorists, and that the Israeli Prime Minister had received advance warning of the attacks but deliberately failed to act.

The passenger, who found these remarks deeply distressing, reported that the employee then attempted to eject him from the station.

A Transport for London employee subsequently intervened and reassured the passenger that political badges should not be displayed by staff. The passenger recorded video evidence of the exchange, some of which is available HERE.

In its letter of 10 October, UKLFI argued that railway employees providing a public service should not use their positions to promote controversial political causes or subject passengers to hostile political confrontations.

UKLFI also raised concerns that the alleged conduct could amount to harassment or discrimination contrary to the Equality Act 2010, which protects individuals against discrimination and race-related harassment in the provision of services.

UKLFI asked Thameslink to investigate both employees’ conduct, clarify its policy on political badges, consider disciplinary action where misconduct is established, and ensure that Jewish and Israeli passengers can travel without facing hostility or discrimination.

A UKLFI spokesperson commented:

“We welcome Thameslink’s prompt decision to investigate these allegations. Jewish passengers should be able to travel on public transport without being confronted by employees minimising the atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October.

“Railway staff are there to assist passengers, not to subject them to political lectures or attempts to remove them from stations for challenging political badges worn by staff. We hope this investigation will lead to clear rules preventing political campaigning by staff on duty.”

UKLFI awaits the outcome of Thameslink’s investigation and its substantive response to the concerns raised.