Two British men have sparked outrage after posting a viral video in which they are seen spraying water at Orthodox Jews walking in the streets of Manchester. The footage, widely shared across the UK, is accompanied by the Hebrew folk tune Hava Nagila, reinforcing the clear antisemitic tone of the incident.
In the video, the men are seen driving around the city, targeting random children and adults, visibly Orthodox. The attackers laugh and continue filming as their victims appear disturbed. According to a report in The Jewish Chronicle, this is believed to be part of a series of coordinated antisemitic incidents.
Manchester UK antisemitic viral clip
(X)
“We are aware of the antisemitic video circulating on social media and are in contact with the police,” a spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, told the JC.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The same Instagram account previously posted videos showing the pair confronting Orthodox Jewish men at an airport. In those clips, they play the Apple Pay sound effect on their phones and falsely accuse the Jews of stealing money. “You're very rich—I just got £60 from you,” one of them says to a visibly confused tourist. Combined, these “prank” videos have amassed nearly a million views and sparked a wave of antisemitic comments online.
After public backlash, the perpetrators edited the original posts to include a disclaimer: “This video is created purely for humorous purposes. It is a joke and not hate speech in any form. Please do not misunderstand it.”
The incident highlights the increasing trend of antisemitism masked as internet “humor,” raising urgent concerns within the British Jewish community.