Two men have received suspended prison sentences for religiously aggravated intentional harassment after targeting a Jewish individual in Stamford Hill, London, and filming anti-Semitic TikTok videos. Adam Bedoui and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, both 21, previously pleaded guilty to the charges.
Bousloub approached the victim while shouting anti-Semitic abuse and filming on his mobile phone, with Bedoui standing nearby, laughing and also harassing the victim. Videos shared by the Jewish volunteer neighborhood-watch group Shomrim show the pair smirking as they walked with a fishing rod, to which a note referencing anti-Semitic tropes was attached. CCTV footage captured Bedoui holding the rod while Bousloub filmed.
The Metropolitan Police stated that Bedoui and Bousloub traveled to Clapton Common with the explicit intention of creating anti-Semitic content. Shomrim reported that the pair specifically targeted Orthodox Jews.
Police were called to the scene around 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, and detained the men after they attempted to flee. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the defendants intended to publish the footage on social media. Bousloub told police he was inspired by an Instagram reel and sought to provoke a reaction, expecting hundreds or thousands of views on TikTok. He also claimed he believed the Jewish community would find the act humorous, while Bedoui provided no comment during police interviews.
The victim stated the incident left him feeling vulnerable and targeted. The pair were sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months.
Prosecutor Varinder Hayre emphasized that the men deliberately targeted a member of the Jewish community and amplified the harm by intending to post the video online. Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke of the Metropolitan Police added that the men's actions were driven by a desire for social media likes from hateful content and issued a warning against committing hate crimes for online notoriety. The arrests, charging, and conviction occurred within 48 hours of the incident being reported.