Moment Orthodox Jews are attacked with water pistols in 'cowardly' social media 'pranks'

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

Social media influencers have targeted Orthodox Jews with water pistols in a series of cruel 'pranks' in Manchester.
Two young men were seen in a video driving around Manchester and laughing as they sprayed adults and children wearing orthodox clothing who were walking down the street.
The men also shared clips where one of the pranksters held his phone near a Jewish man before playing an Apple Pay sound effect.
At an airport in Poland he told the Jewish holidaymaker: 'You are very rich, I just got £60 from you.'
The so-called pranksters have been branded 'playground bullies' by campaigners against antisemitism.
The campaigners called for action, saying one of the men had targeted Jews in videos before.
Writing on social media, a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'These men – who appear to be driving around and targeting Jews with a water gun – are behaving like playground bullies.
'Harassing Jewish people is not a prank but antisemitic 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.'
Polish kickboxer Kamil Galanty was identified to be in the video by the Combat Antisemitism movement alongside a man known as Mati.
The video was eventually removed from Instagram and Tiktok and the account has since uploaded another video, where they are not targeting orthodox views with the water pistol.
Before they were deleted, the clips reached nearly a million likes on Instagram and included antisemitic comments including rat, pig and nose emojis.
The posts were later edited to include a disclaimer, The Telegraph reported, 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.'
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.'