OCTOBER 19, 2026 05:47

Updated: OCTOBER 19, 2026 11:07

A 44-year-old British mother of two underwent police questioning after referral to Prevent, the United Kingdom counter-extremism scheme, owing to her advocacy for Israel, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.

Holly Passmore informed the Telegraph that officers inquired about her recent Israel trip and indicated she might be at risk of manipulation. She later secured police records via a subject access request and discovered notations labeling her with mental health concerns and vulnerability to negative influence.

The records showed the referral claimed Passmore over-identified with the Israel-Palestine conflict and backed Israel enough to travel there.

Passmore has disclosed health issues including severe endometriosis, adenomyosis, ADHD, and autism, yet she told the Telegraph that no one would call her vulnerable.

Visit occurred without counter-terror grounds

They knew I am not vulnerable, but they wanted to monitor me because I was advocating for Israel, she said.

When they came to the door, they did not discuss my health. They only asked about Israel.

The police intelligence report noted there is no CT concern with an individual being supportive of Israel as it is a democracy and it would not be a CT concern for a person to travel there.

The report concluded that no further inquiries are currently necessary to be completed by any other department in respect of this report.

Passmore, who is pursuing a master's degree in Holocaust studies at the University of Haifa, received the visit weeks after a June trip to Israel last year.

They asked me why I was interested in Jewish issues, because County Durham is not a Jewish area, she added. They even asked me if I had ever been to Auschwitz, and I said yes.

I said to them: Look, I get that this is not something that people around here necessarily are interested in, but you know this is something that is important to me, and it is not illegal.

Passmore told not to discuss case online

Passmore had traveled to Israel on a press trip with British journalists and social media influencers after building an online following on X/Twitter.

Originally created to follow gossip about the Duchess of Sussex, the account, which now has over 28,000 followers, shifted to campaigning for humanitarian rights, especially the situation of women in Afghanistan. After the October 7 massacre, she used her platform to speak out against antisemitism and express solidarity with Jewish people.

Passmore said police urged her to stop discussing the case online after she complained about the visit.

A Counter Terrorism Policing North East spokesman said they could not comment on an individual case.

All referrals are treated in the strictest confidence and will always prioritize the safety and welfare of those concerned. Where we are notified of concerns for a particular individual, specially trained officers will listen carefully to the concerns and offer any additional support that may be necessary, they told the Telegraph.