The Met Police have apologised for causing offence after a volunteer officer told Christian singer to ‘stop performing church songs outside church grounds’.
The force said the officer should not have told the Harmonie London, 20, to stop performing her songs – as she says she felt ‘humiliated’, ‘sad’ and ‘bullied’ following the confrontation.
Volunteer officer Maya Hadzhipetkova was accused of breaking the musician’s human right to freedom of expression and religion today after she threatened to take away her instruments following a performance of Amazing Grace.
The Met has since 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.’
Christian singer Harmonie London is back out on Oxford Street in London playing today
Harmonie London is playing Christian music on Oxford Street in London again today
The force added that they are aware of the commentary on social media regarding the incident and the clip was part of a 43 minute conversation between the pair.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline today, Harmonie told how the officer had threatened to seize her keyboard and speakers if she did not stop singing – having already performed Amazing Grace and the contemporary song Goodness of God.
It comes as Scotland Yard continues to investigate Ms Hadzhipetkova and review body-worn footage of the shocking incident on Oxford Street in Central London last Sunday. The Met has claimed the row was over a ‘specific bylaw related to busking’ – while Harmonie argues that she was not ‘busking’, but instead ‘sharing the gospel’.
After telling the singer she could not perform, Ms Hadzhipetkova stuck her tongue out at the camera. Her actions drew widespread condemnation – including from ex-Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe who said ‘some people have got a problem in this country with Christianity which they don’t appear to have with other faiths’.
There are no laws against singing on pavements, Christian or otherwise – only council bylaws relating to having a busking licence and not blocking roads – and Harmonie said the incident breached her article nine rights to freedom of religion.
A section of the extraordinary exchange as onlookers watched on was shared on Instagram by Harmonie – who has vowed to continue playing and singing. Back out on Oxford Street today, she said she wanted to ‘bring love and peace to the public’.
Anti-crime campaigner Norman Brennan condemned the video as ‘not a good look’; Christian Concern’s Andrea Williams said it was ‘shocking’; and former Home Office special adviser Claire Pearsall urged the police to ‘go and deal with actual crime’.
Harmonie said she has previously been visited by Jimmy Choo, Romeo Beckham and Rio Ferdinand – and approached by Jay-Z and Cardi B as well as Sony Music.
People watch and give money to Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
Gospel singer Harmonie London was stopped by officer Maya Hadzhipetkova on Oxford Street
At the end of the video the officer stuck her tongue out at the singer as she continued filming
At the time, the Met said: ‘We’re reviewing body worn video of this interaction – it’s more than 40 minutes long. At the heart of this is a specific by-law related to busking. The officer knows she could have handled this differently and is speaking to her manager.’
Detectives added that they were ‘working to understand the context in which these comments were made’ – but also condemned some of the ‘unacceptable’ posts on social media about Ms Hadzhipetkova which it described as ‘personal and hurtful’.
Harmonie London regularly performs worship music to passing shoppers on Oxford Street and has more than 300,000 subscribers on YouTube.
But she was stopped on Sunday by Ms Hadzhipetkova and told: ‘No miss, you’re not allowed to sing church songs outside of church grounds, by the way.’
As onlookers watched and filmed outside the John Lewis store, Harmonie protested her innocence to the officer, saying: ‘You are, you are (able to sing church songs).’
But Ms Hadzhipetkova continued to insist that Harmonie could not sing ‘outside of church grounds unless you have been authorised by the church to do these kind of songs’.
Harmonie said ‘that’s a load of rubbish, you’re allowed’ – but the officer then walked away and another said: ‘She’s not saying anything anymore, thank you for your time.’
The singer said: ‘Are you saying that you don’t care about the Human Rights Act?’
She then accused Ms Hadzhipetkova of ‘laughing’ while she was walking away. The officer then stuck her tongue out.
In a later video, Harmonie quoted Article 9 of the Human Rights Act 1998 which protects someone’s right to freedom of thought, belief and religion.
Speaking to MailOnline today about the incident, Harmonie – who lives in North London – said she had been singing John Newton’s Amazing Grace and Goodness of God – a contemporary song by Bethel Music released in 2019 – and there ‘wasn’t any type of complaint or noise nuisance’.
Harmonie said Oxford Street is manned by security, and if any of the businesses have a problem they can contact a team who would then ask to move her on, but ‘there was no complaint’.
She said that before the video was filmed, Ms Hadzhipetkova had ‘approached me before, harassing me, and I explained to her that it’s freedom of religion, article nine – I had my human right to sing the gospel, it’s not the same as busking’.
She continued: ‘I’m actually sharing the gospel. She went off but she was very argumentative. She came back, she literally marched up to me, stood in front of me and said stop your music now. She literally laughed at my human rights.
‘She wasn’t interested. She acknowledged, she knew, and another officer acknowledged that you do have freedom of religion and to express yourself.
Christian singer Harmonie London is back out on Oxford Street in London playing today
People watch and film singer Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
Christian singer Harmonie London is playing on Oxford Street in London again today
A woman knees on the pavement in worship during the singing by Harmonie London today
‘To be honest, I sing gospel to glorify God. I’m just literally following the Bible, sharing the Good News. It’s just an opportunity to witness to non-believers as well.
‘I don’t approach people. I don’t force people to listen. I sing and they can choose to listen – and if they don’t, they can choose to move on. A big crowd formed, they were literally begging the police to leave me alone.’
She said she handed them documents printed from the Christian Concern website which stated her legal rights to perform, but the police ‘didn’t care’.
She added: ‘I packed my stuff. I didn’t want to argue with them. They weren’t interested in anything I had to say. When I mentioned the human rights, that’s when she stuck her tongue out.
‘She acknowledged it, but to them it doesn’t matter. It was a very controlling environment. Another officer was making jokes saying ‘I’ll go and do some crime then, catch some criminals’ – trying to make a joke of it.
‘A man said something along the lines of, ‘there’s a lady over there being robbed and you’re here’. Everybody was upset.’
She claimed another lady said: ‘This is a Christian country’.
Asked how the incident made her feel, Harmonie said: ‘I just felt very upset by the situation. It was quite humiliating. I felt downcast and sad. Even when I packed up she stood there saying ‘are you going’?
‘She didn’t even want me to stand on the pavement. She was bullying me. She was kind of laughing, kind of like ‘Hey, I’m in this powerful position’. It was very intimidating.
‘I’m 20, I’m a quiet person. Although I sing I don’t really like attention and that’s not the sort of attention I seek. I felt very humiliated and small. I felt like my human rights didn’t matter, especially when she was saying that ‘you can’t sing church music’.
The officer told her that ‘you’re not allowed to sing church songs outside of church grounds’
Ms Hadzhipetkova then walked away along Oxford Street as the singer continued to film her
‘They had so much power that they could create their own laws. It was almost like you don’t care whether I have human rights. When a police officer is telling you that, and threatening to take your equipment… a big crowd gathered to protect me.’
She added that the Bible encourages people to ‘sing God’s praises’ and that ‘I will continue to do what I do.’
Harmonie also claimed that Ms Hadzhipetkova ‘threatened to take my equipment’ and said she would ‘seize it’.
She continued: ‘Then I thought to myself, what am I going to do? My equipment is very expensive, Yamaha has given me the piano and AER has given me the speakers, they’re worth about £3,000.
‘When I do my gospel, I don’t make that much money. I just make enough to cover congestion charge, petrol, maybe some food, and then I’m trying to record in a studio because I’m trying to bring out my own gospel album.
‘My equipment’s been given to me by these big names because they enjoy what I do.’
She added that any council bylaws relating to busking ‘don’t apply to freedom of expression, it’s a human right’.
Harmonie continued: ‘At the end of the day I’m not there to upset people and cause a nuisance. I generally go there for 30, 40 minutes, sing gospel music, which is my choice of music.
People watch and give money to Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
Harmonie London sets up her equipment this afternoon as she performs on Oxford Street
Christian singer Harmonie London is playing on Oxford Street in London again today
Harmonie London performs on Oxford Street today, two days after being confronted by police
‘Even a Muslim lady wrote on TikTok: ‘I’m Muslim and I want you to sing this louder’. I wasn’t causing anybody any trouble or any offence. No businesses called them.’
Harmonie said she had been performing Christian music for the past 18 months, adding: ‘I just wanted to do the music that’s close to my heart, that I identify with, that’s close to me as a person. It’s music that I resonate with.’
She added that she had been performing since the age of 14 but used to sing songs by secular artists such as Ed Sheeran and Adele.
Harmonie also confirmed that she had never had such trouble before – and one police officer even gave her money, saying ‘don’t give up, keep singing’.
She continued: ‘Everybody enjoys my singing, Jimmy Choo came to see me and David Beckham’s son Romeo Beckham came to see me, Rio Ferdinand came to see me.
‘There’s quite a few people that turn up. I get lots of Americans contacting me. The gospel section of Sony in America wants to sign me. I’ve been invited to America with Jay-Z. I’ve been approached by Cardi B.
‘At the moment I’m just building my music and remaining independent because I don’t want to be signed and obligated into deals. On TikTok I’ve got 531,000 followers. My most recent post on Instagram reached 28million views.
Harmonie has said that she is not ‘busking’, but instead ‘sharing the gospel’ when she sings
‘People really enjoy it. I’m not there to cause offence or upset to the public. It’s just to bring love and peace to the public. I get hundreds of messages, people saying I prefer this to church, I went to church because of this. People are writing lots of things.’
She added that she did not want to call for any specific action against the police officer.
Ms Hadzhipetkova previously lived in Bulgaria before moving to Cyprus in 2009 where she lived for five years before heading to the UK, according to her LinkedIn.
Since moving to London she has worked for Costa Coffee, All Bar One and as a pub manager at the Black Lion in Kilburn in North West London.
Photos on her Facebook page showed how she has visited Dubai, Egypt, Paris, Lisbon and Amsterdam, and once went on a road trip down the US West Coast.
Among those hitting out at the video was former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe, who called for the officer to be ‘struck off from the voluntary force’.
She told GB News: ‘She really has got the law completely wrong and she was obviously enjoying herself rather too much, trying to boss this woman around.
‘And there is no basis at all for saying you can’t sing. I could walk down the street singing Onward Christian Soldiers and I would be committing no offence at all.’
Speaking to Premier Christian Radio’s Inspirational Breakfast today, Ms Widdecombe was asked to confirm there is no law forbidding Christian songs being sung outside church grounds.
She said: ‘No, absolutely not. No. If there were, the Salvation Army wouldn’t be able to perform in the street. No, of course not.’
People watch and film singer Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
Ms Widdecombe continued: ‘I think they should take very firm action against this individual, not least for sticking her tongue out, which was a gesture of contempt, not professional. And obviously, she doesn’t really know the law, certainly doesn’t appear to know the law.
‘I would have thought it wasn’t necessary for the police to understand the context. They’ve got the video, they can see what she said now, is what she said right or not? And if it’s wrong, then they should take action.’
Asked whether it illustrated a wider point as to what is an appropriate natural expression of faith, Ms Widdecombe said: ‘There shouldn’t be any confusion. Obviously there are limits. And for example, if you had a group of Christians standing outside a mosque deliberately singing Christian hymns, that might be considered provocative.
‘But simply to be singing a Christian song in the street – people sing songs in the street all the time. They can be faith-based, they can be just ordinary rock n roll – doesn’t matter.
‘I think the point really being illustrated is some people have got a problem in this country with Christianity which they don’t appear to have with other faiths. And I just think it’s time that they learnt that Christianity is part of diversity, not excluded from it.’
Norman Brennan, a former police officer and anti-crime campaigner, also tweeted: ‘Folks, this is not a good look. Some of us are trying hard to help policing get back public lost support respect and confidence and this does not help.’
And Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Concern campaign group, told MailOnline: ‘One of my favourite things as I commute to work is to hear Harmonie’s beautiful worship.
‘She blesses tens of thousands of people in the same way and brings harmony to the streets. We need more of this, not less. It is shocking that she has been treated like this.’
Ms Williams added: ‘There is nothing illegal about Harmonie singing worship songs on Oxford Street. Thousands of people stop to listen to her and the message of hope she bring about the good news of Jesus.
‘The officer showed a total lack of understanding of the law and the human right protections set out in the Human Rights Act 1998 where Harmonie’s freedom to express her faith on the streets is clearly protected.’
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley also commented on the video, tweeting: ‘Lawless Britain. The woman in uniform that is…’
And former Home Office special adviser Claire Pearsall told TalkTV: ‘Really should the police be going around telling people they can’t sing, they can’t pray, they can’t think something? Why don’t they go and deal with actual crime?’
However, Ms Hadzhipetkova found support from former Met Police officer Raj Kohli, who tweeted: ‘I am not sure it deserves the pile on it deserves. She made a mistake around the law and was unprofessional with sticking her tongue out. But she volunteers her time to be a police officer and deserves kudos for that.’
People watch and film singer Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
However, Mr Bleksley responded to this, tweeting: ‘Here we go folks; recently retired senior police officer, urges us not to post about an ignorant and rude special constable, because she’s a volunteer. So there you have it, clear as day, how they back each other up, even when they act like garbage. No wonder there’s no respect.’
Harmonie London has become a popular Christian street singer in recent years and now has nearly 300,000 followers on each of Instagram and YouTube.
Some of her videos have attracted more than four million views. Her latest clip posted on Monday was entitled: ‘Unpaid Volunteer Officer Doesn’t Like Gospel Songs.’
The caption for the clip, posted at about 6pm, said: ‘Special constables are volunteer police officers who invest their free time to make a real difference to our city. You will get a tremendous amount of pride from giving back to the community.’
Harmonie’s clip of the confrontation has so far attracted more than 5,000 likes and 1,500 comments. MailOnline has contacted Ms Hadzhipetkova for comment.
In a series of tweets yesterday, the Met initially said at 12.14pm: ‘This was filmed in Oxford Street, Westminster, over the weekend. We’re working to understand the context in which these comments were made. We will update as soon as we can.’
In a second update at 2.32pm, the Met added: ‘We’re reviewing body worn video of this interaction – it’s more than 40mins long. At the heart of this is a specific by-law related to busking. The officer knows she could have handled this differently and is speaking to her manager.’
It also said in an attached post: ‘We’re aware of significant social media commentary. Some of the comments are personal and hurtful. This is unacceptable.’
Westminster City Council includes the Oxford Street area among its busking and street entertainment regulated zones of the West End.
Policy states that there is a ‘light touch licensing scheme’ applicable in the area, which means anyone will ‘only be able to busk in designated pitches’.
Harmonie London often performs worship music to shoppers in London (pictured today)
They also need to apply for a licence to perform, keep to terms and conditions of the designated pitches, and abide by the conditions of their licence.
The council confirmed to MailOnline that its busking policy relates to authorised pitches where performers solicit money for their act and has no bearing on the content of what people sing.
Busking is not illegal in England and Wales but there may be certain byelaws or rules imposed by individual councils, such as not making too much noise.
Singers also may to told to avoid blocking pavements, not displaying notices asking for payment and only busking in certain parts of a town or for a fixed period of time.
Special constables are volunteer officers who have the same powers as regular officers and work at least 200 hours annually, equating to 16 hours per month.
‘Specials’ are based on one of the 12 basic command units across the 32 London boroughs and also wear the same uniform as regular officers.
Their duties include responding to 999 calls, foot and vehicle patrols, tackling antisocial behaviour, road safety initiatives and house-to-house enquiries.
People watch and film singer Harmonie London as she performs on Oxford Street today
They also present evidence in court, help police events and take part in ‘hotspot’ operations to tackle underage drinking, criminal damage and public disorder.
Those involved – who normally have a full or part-time job as well – can benefit from free travel within London and a discount on council tax within Greater London.
Famous specials include the broadcaster and model Penny Lancaster, who is married to singer Rod Stewart, and volunteers with the City of London Police.
Other officers have been criticised for heavy-handed policing of buskers in recent years – including one in 2021 left covered in blood as he was held to the ground by five officers following an apparent row over performing in public in Bournemouth.
Also in 2011, a York busker was fined £200 for allegedly breaking Covid restrictions by playing the piano because police said it was causing people to congregate.
And in Northampton last month, it was revealed that buskers considered a ‘nuisance’ in the town centre would be told to stop playing under new council rules.
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