Two men who filmed themselves shouting antisemitic abuse at a Jewish man in east London for social media have avoided jail.
Adam Bedoui and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, both 21, were handed a six-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Friday after they were convicted of an antisemitic hate crime, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
The pair travelled to a predominantly Jewish area of the capital to film antisemitic content for TikTok on May 7, and pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated intentional harassment at the same court just a few days later.
Police were called at around 9pm on May 7 after the two men targeted a Jewish man in Clapton Common, Hackney.
Bousloub approached the man and started shouting abuse while filming it on a mobile phone, while Bedoui stood alongside him, laughing, and also harassed the man, the Metropolitan Police said previously.
The pair tried to flee when officers arrived but were detained.
The CPS said Bousloub told police in interview that he had gone to the Stamford Hill area to film with a fishing rod with the aim of getting a reaction, copying what he had seen in another video on Instagram.
He said he was expecting hundreds or thousands of people to watch the video and claimed he thought the Jewish community would find it funny, the CPS added.
Varinder Hayre, district crown prosecutor and hate crime lead for London North Magistrates’ Court unit in CPS London North area, said: “These men deliberately targeted a member of the Jewish community, and subjected him to antisemitic abuse in a public place.
“They filmed the incident with the intention to upload it to social media and amplify the harm caused to the victim.
“The CPS worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to build a strong case, securing a conviction less than 48 hours after the incident.
“Hate crime has a serious impact on victims and communities.
“We will continue to prosecute these offences robustly.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing in the area, said: “These men thought nothing of travelling to Stamford Hill so they could generate social media likes from hateful so-called content.
“There is no place for antisemitic hate in this city and this case carries a clear warning for anyone tempted to commit hate crimes in pursuit of online notoriety.
“These men were arrested within minutes of the incidents being reported to us. They were then charged, remanded to court and convicted 48 hours after the original report.”
Bedoui and Bousloub, both of West Drayton in Hillingdon, west London, were also sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity, and required to pay prosecution costs of £85.
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