The Metropolitan Police are urgently searching for a man who was captured on video in east London making violent threats against Jewish people, including stating that 'Jews gonna get beheaded'. The incident occurred on Whitechapel Road in Tower Hamlets, and officers were dispatched on Friday after the footage began circulating online.
Details of the Incident
The video shows a man wearing a black puffer jacket pointing his finger, apparently directed at someone, and shouting: 'F*** Israel. Big up Palestine. Free Palestine to the river to the sea. F*** Israel. Big up Palestine. Palestine will be free. The Jews, you're gonna get beheaded one by one. You dirty Jews. Big up Palestine.' Another individual joins the chant as the suspect continues: 'Palestine will be free. But Israel, if I catch that Government, on my mother's life I will f*** you out.'
The man is then pushed by another person who appears to gesture for him to stop his rant and move aside. Undeterred, the suspect proceeds to chant: 'Free free Palestine from the river to the sea.' The camera then pans to the individual he was addressing, who is separated by a line of people holding cameras and tells him to 'shut up'.
Community Response
Shomrim (London North & East), the Jewish community police force, shared the video and described it as a 'horrific video circulating on social media showing a gentleman threatening to behead Jews and much more'. The organisation stated it is 'aware of the fact that the Orthodox Jewish community is exceptionally concerned about these threats' and is 'working closely' with the Metropolitan Police. It expressed hope that this collaboration would provide reassurance to a community that has experienced a series of recent attacks.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'We are aware of this video, which was reported to police earlier on Friday afternoon. Officers have attended the scene and are carrying out urgent inquiries to identify the man involved. We understand that incidents like this cause significant concern and we take all reports incredibly seriously. Hate crime of any kind has no place in our communities.'
Broader Context of Antisemitism
Earlier this month, the force announced a dedicated team of 100 additional officers specifically tasked with protecting London's Jewish communities. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley previously urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to release urgent funding to recruit 300 extra police officers, warning that Jewish people face a 'ghastly Venn diagram' of anti-Semitic hate. On May 1, Sir Mark stated that British Jews are experiencing their greatest ever threat, with antisemitism becoming increasingly prevalent in a social media-driven age. He noted that the rise of a 'social media-led' news ecosystem means more people are forming views from 'non-traditional sources', and antisemitism is 'becoming more and more mainstream'.
These warnings followed the UK's terrorism threat level being raised to 'severe' last month after the Golders Green attack and a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London, meaning an incident is now considered 'highly likely'.
Recent Attacks
On April 29, a stabbing in Golders Green, north London, left two Jewish men—Moshe Shine, 76, and Shloime Rand, 34—wounded. Survivor Mr Rand said the blade came just 'two centimetres' from his heart. The suspected knifeman, Essa Suleiman, 45, a British national born in Somalia, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place over what police declared a terrorist incident. Suleiman appeared via video link from HMP Belmarsh, wearing a grey prison tracksuit and slumped backwards with his arms crossed on a red three-seater bench. He spoke only to confirm his name and age and appeared relaxed throughout the hearing.
