News
Elegant unusual footage has revealed it took 5 police officers to shut down a Gospel singer as she carried out to fans on Oxford Street.
Harmonie London, 20, had been singing outside John Lewis’ flagship store in London on Sunday when she was approached by volunteer police officer Maya Hadzhipetkova who wrongly told the busker she may no longer ‘insist church songs outside of church grounds’.
Scotland Yard have since apologised for the mishap, explaining that the supposed breach was due to unlicensed busking rather than the content of the songs she was singing, adding that Hadzhipetkova is being investigated.
But now a unusual clip of the incident shows there have been 5 various constables at the scene, with one of the police officers being heckled by a passer-by who asked why officers have been no longer spending their time ‘catching murderers, rapists, killers’ instead.
Onlookers slammed the Metropolitan Police for ‘wasting taxpayers money’ and police assets, demanding an explanation for why officers threatened to rob Harmonie’s equipment.
Harmonie London, 20, (pictured) had been singing outside John Lewis’ flagship store in London on Sunday when she was approached by volunteer police officer Maya Hadzhipetkova
Scotland Yard have since apologised for the mishap, explaining that the supposed breach was due to unlicensed busking
The Christian singer told MailOnline tonight she felt ‘threatened’ by the 5 officers adding that it was a ‘waste of police assets’ when the pressure continues to ‘say they are underfunded and that crime is highly high in London’.
For the duration of the unusual clip a police officer is approached by Harmonie’s videographer for sounding ‘very silly’ to which the male constables responds: ‘Hi there YouTube, I’m apparently sounding very silly’.
The woman is then heard telling the officer: ‘I’d desire you expend our taxpayers money to catch murderers, rapists, paedophiles but you’re right here after a busker which is really a council challenge no longer yours.
‘All these officers are right here wasting taxpayers money. Here is an embarrassment for you and a waste of police time. And I don’t mediate all police officers right here are happy with this.’
To which the unnamed officer spoke back: ‘I am no longer after anyone, she’s leaving, I am happy with that. If you have been to walk away and stop engaging me in conversation I’d walk away too. You asked me to speak with you.’
When the filmer insists again that the officers ‘may level-headed be catching murderers, rapists, killers’ instead of stopping buskers on the streets, the officer sarcastically quips back: ‘In which case next time I hear about a cancel, I’ll lumber to it.’
At the top of the video the officer stuck her tongue out at the singer as she continued filming
Harmonie London is playing Christian track on Oxford Street in London again today
Folks watch and give money to Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
She carries on reprimanding the officers for ‘standing around and doing nothing,’ instead ‘catching of us that aren’t even criminals’.
Is it illegal to insist Christian songs outside of church grounds?
There’s now not any such thing as a law in England and Wales against singing songs on pavements, whether Christian or otherwise.
The volunteer police officer was therefore wrong to counsel Harmonie London may no longer insist ‘church songs outside of church grounds’.
There are council bylaws relating to having a busking licence and no longer blocking off roads – which may have been what confused the officer.
The Metropolitan Police has claimed the disagreement was over a ‘particular bylaw related to busking’.
Busking is no longer illegal in England and Wales but there may be certain byelaws or principles imposed by councils, such as no longer making too principal noise.
Singers also may to told to avoid blocking off pavements, no longer displaying notices asking for payment and only busking in certain parts of a town or for a fastened period of time.
The Westminster City Council policy for Oxford Street is that it is among the busking and boulevard entertainment regulated areas of the West Waste.
Policy states that there’s a ‘light touch licensing plan’ applicable within the area, which means anyone will ‘only be able to busk in designated pitches’.
They also need to apply for a licence to develop, save to phrases and conditions of the designated pitches, and abide by the conditions of their licence.
‘Okay I’ll lumber catch some criminals then shall I?’ the officer responds, before explaining that his job role within the primary instance is about ‘conserving lifestyles’.
Revealing the unusual footage, Harmonie blasted the male officer for being ‘really condescending’ adding that ‘it was almost admire he was saying how dare you narrate me to lumber combat a crime’.
She told MailOnline: ‘I packed away my equipment because they threatened to rob my equipment and I didn’t want to accept into any anxiety with them because they weren’t listening to me.
‘It was quite aggressive, and it was quite out of hand. I’ll be honest, I was really scared.
‘Your complete thing was handled badly, and it was honest a waste of police assets. They say they are underfunded and that crime is highly high in London and so I mediate the assets may be utilized in a better way.
‘It’s by no means happened before but you feel threatened, it was threatening. I carry out no longer hit upon myself as a lawbreaker or a rebel. I am a law abiding citizen. I hope they leave me alone sooner or later.’
The singer added that members of the general public told her a woman had been robbed nearby on Oxford Street but the police had done nothing whereas they claimed another man was having a mental breakdown at the same time but officers ‘did no longer even hit upon him’.
‘Somebody said a woman was being robbed but they weren’t in anything various than me. Another person said there was a gentleman nearby having a mental breakdown and they did no longer even hit upon to him.
The unusual footage comes days after the primary video surfaced of Hadzhipetkova telling Harmonie she was ‘no longer allowed to insist church songs outside of church grounds’ – before sticking her tongue out at the singer.
Harmonie, who was stopped by the officer whereas performing Amazing Grace, tried to whine her innocence to the officer, saying: ‘You are, you are [able to sing church songs].’
It caused a mammoth public backlash and led to the volunteer police officer – who also works at Costa Espresso – being accused of breaking the musician’s human fair to freedom of expression and religion.
Harmonie London sets up her equipment this afternoon as she performs on Oxford Street
Folks watch and give money to Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
A woman knees on the pavement in esteem for the duration of the singing by Harmonie London today
Folks watch and movie singer Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
Hadzhipetkova’s attitude drew widespread condemnation – together with from worn Tory MP Ann Widdecombe who said ‘some of us have bought a challenge in this country with Christianity which they don’t appear to have with various faiths’.
Anti-crime campaigner Norman Brennan condemned the video as ‘no longer a accurate search for’; Christian Concern’s Andrea Williams said it was ‘heavenly’; and worn Residence Workplace special adviser Claire Pearsall urged the police to ‘lumber and deal with actual crime’.
Harmonie, who has over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and regularly performs at some point of the capital, yesterday said the situation left her feeling ‘humiliated’, ‘sad’ and ‘bullied’.
The singer said she has previously been visited by Jimmy Choo, Romeo Beckham and Rio Ferdinand – and approached by Jay-Z and Cardi B as effectively as Sony Song.
Yesterday the Met Police have been forced to apologise to the singer, admitting they had bought it wrong after officers threatened to take away her devices following a performance of Amazing Grace.
The pressure clarified that the supposed breach was due to unlicensed busking rather than the content of the songs she was singing.
But they added: ‘The officer was mistaken in saying church songs cannot be sung outside of church grounds.
‘We’re sorry for the offence caused and will take the learning forward.’
The Met Police said previously: ‘We’re aware of the significant social media commentary relating to this incident. The clip shows 30 seconds of a 43 minute conversation the place the broader context is no longer immediately glaring.’
MailOnline has contacted the Met Police for comment.
