Two men admit filming antisemitic abuse on TikTok

Two men have been convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence after filming themselves verbally abusing a member of the Jewish community for social media content.

Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, both of West Drayton, Hillingdon, entered guilty pleas at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning.

The defendants appeared before the court less than 48 hours after their arrest on Thursday evening at approximately 21:00 BST on Clapton Common.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that both men were charged with religiously aggravated intentional harassment, contrary to Section 31(1)(c) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

They further faced charges of intentional harassment, alarm or distress, which constitutes an offence under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986.

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The court heard the pair travelled to the Stamford Hill area specifically to record antisemitic abuse for the social media platform TikTok before attempting to flee from arriving officers.

Detective Superintendent Oliver Richter, lead for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, stated that the rapid arrest and charge process demonstrates the force's commitment to tackling targeted hate crimes.

The proceedings have been adjourned for the preparation of pre-sentence reports, with the defendants scheduled to return for sentencing on June 5.

The convictions follow the deployment of a new Metropolitan Police community protection team consisting of 100 additional officers tasked with safeguarding the capital’s Jewish community.

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This specialist unit operates by combining neighbourhood policing with counter-terrorism and specialist protection capabilities to provide an intelligence-led presence.

Operational data shows that approximately 50 people have been arrested for antisemitic hate crimes in London over the last month, with 10 individuals formally charged.

Three other men, aged 20 and 21, who were arrested during the same incident on Thursday, have been released on bail pending further police enquiries.

Heightened security measures remain in place following a series of recent attacks, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green and an arson attack on charity ambulances.

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