Influencers target Orthodox Jews in water pistol stunt

Telegraph

a day ago

Orthodox Jews have been targeted with water pistols by social media influencers in a series of attacks in Manchester.
Two young men filmed themselves driving around in a car and laughing as they sprayed adults and children dressed in orthodox clothing with an unidentified liquid.
The pair, whose victims appeared startled as they rushed away, have been described as cowards and 'playground bullies' by campaigners against anti-Semitism, who have demanded action and said one of the men had targeted Jews for videos on social media before.
The pair's footage, posted on Instagram accompanied by the Jewish folk song Hava Nagila, attracted scores of anti-Semitic comments comparing the liquid to 'antiseptic' and asking, 'What about a gas prank?'
'This is anti-Semitic abuse not a prank'
A spokeswoman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said on Wednesday: 'These men are behaving like playground bullies.
' Targeting Jewish people for harassment is not a prank but anti-Semitic abuse, and doing so from the comfort of your car is particularly cowardly.
'We are also aware that this is not the first time that one of these men has targeted Jews for videos on social media.
'Our legal team is examining the footage and assessing options. Those responsible must be identified and held to account.'
Kamil Galanty, a kickboxer of Polish descent, and a man known as Mati, were tagged in the videos, taken in Broughton Park, Manchester, and are said to have a strong resemblance to the men responsible for the harassment.
The water pistol video was eventually removed from Instagram after three days, but remains on Mati's TikTok profile.
The men behind the water pistol video previously uploaded videos singling out Orthodox Jewish men for pranks in airports and supermarkets.
In three clips posted on Instagram, one of the pranksters holds his phone near their victims and plays an Apple Pay sound effect, before claiming to have taken their money.
'You are very rich, I just got £60 from you,' he tells a Jewish holidaymaker at an airport in Poland in one of the videos.
The clips, which have comments including rat, pig and nose emojis, have nearly a million likes on Instagram.
'Just a joke' disclaimer added
The posts featuring Orthodox Jews were later edited to include a disclaimer, which read: 'This video was made purely for humorous purposes.
'It is just a joke and not hate speech in any way. Please do not take it the wrong way.'
The Community Security Trust, a UK charity working to protect Jews from anti-Semitism, said it was aware of the 'appalling anti-Semitic video'.
A spokesman for CST added: 'It's completely disgraceful that Jewish people have to put up with this kind of targeted abuse.'
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: 'We are aware of footage circulating online appearing to show occupants of a vehicle spraying water at members of the Jewish community.
'A crime has been recorded, with multiple lines of enquiry being actively investigated.
'We are working closely with partners to provide reassurance to the communities impacted, and we encourage anyone who has been targeted to contact us on 999, 101, or by reporting on our website.'