Two 21-year-old men were given six-week suspended prison sentences for setting out to “fish for Jews” in Stamford Hill, north London, filming themselves in antisemitic videos intended for social media and harassing an Orthodox Jewish man in the street because of his identity, the British Daily Mail reported Saturday.
The court also ordered the two men to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work, attend 20 days of rehabilitation activities and pay £85 in court costs.
Two men sentenced after filming themselves ‘fishing for Jews’ in London
(Video: Shomrim London)
Adam Bedwai and Abdelkader Bouseloub admitted intentional harassment aggravated by religious hatred. According to prosecutors, the two deliberately went to the heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Stamford Hill carrying a fishing rod as part of an idea they described as “fishing for Jews.”
In videos published by Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer community security organization, the two are seen walking through the neighborhood smiling and holding a fishing rod with a note attached to it carrying an antisemitic message that alluded to offensive stereotypes about Jews.
According to the indictment, Bouseloub approached an Orthodox Jewish passerby and shouted antisemitic abuse at him while filming the incident on his mobile phone. Bedwai stood beside him, laughed and took part in the harassment.
The victim later said the incident left him feeling vulnerable and that he felt he had been targeted because he was Jewish.
Additional security camera footage showed the two walking around the area with the fishing rod. They were later seen being arrested by police after trying to flee the scene.
According to London’s Metropolitan Police, the two arrived in the Clapton Common area, near Stamford Hill, with the clear intention of creating antisemitic content for social media. Shomrim said they specifically focused on Orthodox Jews.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the pair intended to post the videos online. During questioning, Bouseloub admitted he had taken the idea from a video he had seen on Instagram and expected hundreds or even thousands of users to watch the footage on TikTok. He also claimed he thought the Jewish community would find his actions funny. Bedwai chose to remain silent during questioning.
Abdelkader Bouseloub (right) and Adam Bedwai
(Photo: London PD)
Prosecutor Varinder Hayre said after the sentencing that the two men had deliberately targeted a member of the Jewish community and shouted antisemitic insults at him in a public place.
“They recorded the incident with the intention of posting it on social media and amplifying the harm to the victim,” Hayre said. “Hate crimes cause significant harm to victims and entire communities, and we will continue to prosecute these offenses robustly.”
London police area commander Brittany Clarke also condemned the incident, saying there was “no place for antisemitic hate in this city.”
“This case sends a clear message to anyone seeking social media attention through hate crimes,” Clarke said. “The two were arrested within minutes, charged and convicted within less than 48 hours.”