Drawings at an “anti-Semitic” art exhibition allegedly showing Jewish people eating babies are not “directly abusive or insulting” to Jews, Kent Police has decided. The force ruled that the art, condemned by leading Jewish figures and politicians for portraying anti-Semitic tropes, has not reached the threshold to be considered either a hate crime or a non-crime hate incident.

The alarm was first raised by the columnist Zoe Strimpel, who visited the Joseph Wales Studios in Margate. Ms Strimpel said on X: “My cheeks are red. I am shaking. Matthew Collings told me ‘Israel are the Nazis’ and that the swastikas are ‘critique’.” Kent Police responded to a complaint after the exhibition, called Drawings Against Genocide, prompted an outcry from Jewish campaign groups and politicians who described the artwork as “grotesque” and “not just sickening, but dangerous”.

In a letter to the complainant, the force said: “The artwork is critical of the Israeli state and its actions but does not include content that is directly abusive or insulting toward Jewish people as a group. There is also no indication of an intent by the artist to stir up racial or religious hatred.”

Reporting on her interaction with the authorities, Ms Strimpel said: “Kent police sergeant just called. He told me: no action to be taken. He said ‘because some Israelis happen to be Jews it doesn’t mean it’s antisemitic’.”

The exhibition featured hundreds of crudely drawn pictures, reported The Telegraph. One drawing depicted two auctioneers at Sotheby’s – owned by Patrick Drahi, a French-Israeli businessman – eating babies, with blood dripping from their sharpened teeth.

It was the work of Matthew Collings, 70. Mr Collings said the art was “about raising consciousness about hell” and that “Israel is the pure encapsulation of it” through its actions in Gaza.

A sign directing visitors to the drawings said: “Antisemitic art exhibition this way”.

Mr Collings denied that it showed Jewish people, saying: “Nothing in the drawing says ‘Jews’ or claims Jews eat babies.” He added: “It makes a comment that the owner of Sotheby’s is a Zionist” and “the message is that Zionism is a brutal ideology”.

Labour-led Thanet council apologised for promoting the event on its tourism website. A spokesman said: “Once the council was contacted regarding the nature of the content, the link to this exhibition was removed. The council is not affiliated with the gallery or this exhibition and apologises sincerely for any distress.”

Kent Police acknowledged the complainant’s distress. Officers attended the exhibition before senior officers assessed the case. The force said the drawings did not meet the legal threshold for a hate crime. It also did not meet the threshold for a non-crime hate incident (NCHI).

The police said: “This is because the content is political in nature, focuses on a nation state rather than a protected group, and is part of artistic expression. There is no information to suggest hostility toward Jewish people as a group.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, urged Kent Police to rethink its decision. Mr Philp said: “It’s ridiculous that Kent Police think there is no case to answer here. These pictures are clearly full of sickening anti-Semitic tropes. Kent should reopen this investigation immediately.”

Alex Hearn, from Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “How did police detectives miss the clue where the artist says: ‘Antisemitic art exhibition this way’? They took the artist at his word but ignored Jews. That a police force believes depicting Jews eating babies is ‘criticism of Israel’ shows how urgently intervention is needed.”

Labour Against Antisemitism has written to Tim Smith, Kent’s chief constable, urging him to re-examine the assessment.

The historian Sir Simon Schama, speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival, said the police needed formal education in anti-Semitism. Sir Simon said: “What it comes down to is educating the police.

“There is no question that it’s perfectly legitimate to criticise Zionism, but it’s also extremely clear when that morphs into something harmful to Jewish communities.”

Sir Simon added: “Two perfectly nice policemen came along, were surrounded by emblems of blood-soaked, child-eating Jews, and said, ‘No, we think this is perfectly legitimate criticism of the state of Israel.’ Something really has to be done educationally.”

Express.co.uk has contacted Kent Police for comment.