Influencers who shot Orthodox Jews with water pistols 'let off with a slap on the wrist'

Two social media influencers who targeted Orthodox Jews with water pistols have been 'let off with a slap on the wrist', antisemitism campaigners say.

Last week, the two men recorded themselves driving around Salford and spraying adults as well as children wearing Orthodox Jewish clothing with water guns.

They could be heard cruelly laughing as they soaked an innocent passers-by, with an unidentified liquid. A clip showed one of the self-proclaimed 'pranksters' hold his phone near a Jewish man and play an Apple Pay sound effect, while saying: 'You are very rich, I just got £60 from you.' The news comes just weeks after LBC's James O'Brien was inundated with Ofcom complaints following an antisemitism row live on air.

Before being deleted, the influencers' clips amassed nearly a million likes on Instagram and attracted anti-Semitic 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.'

Following the incident, the duo were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault, but it has since been reported they have since been handed community resolution orders after apologising.

'No deterence'

People given community resolution orders receive no criminal record and these can only be given for hate crimes in exceptional circumstances. This includes if a victim does not want to press charges, if an offender confesses, and if an inspector agrees to resolve the case.

However the leniency given to the duo by the Greater Manchester Police has sparked outrage, as Campaign Against Antisemitism says the men have been 'met with a slap on the wrist' for the 'hate crime'. A spokesperson said: 'This was a racially aggravated crime that was filmed explicitly so that it could be widely publicised by the offenders.

'Restorative justice should never have been on the table in lieu of criminal proceedings. For years, we have seen anti-Semitic hate crime met with a slap on the wrist.

'There is no deterrence, and now hate crime against Jews is spiralling out of control. A crime is a crime, and the authorities should be punishing those who break the law.'

'Cowardice'

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has also insisted the force revisit the incident and take 'the most robust action'.

He told The Telegraph: 'Spraying members of the Jewish community with water pistols while jeering from the safety of a car is cowardice. It is public humiliation for profit, fuelling online hate, and encourages others to join in.

'This is happening against the backdrop of over 1,500 anti-Semitic incidents in just the first half of this year, one of the highest totals ever recorded.

'Jewish communities are being harassed, spat at, and attacked, and now filmed. This is not something Britain can turn a blind eye to.

'Jews feel in danger'

While urging the police to take another look at the case, Mr Philip said 'we cannot allow' a Britain where Jews feel in danger due to their faith. A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson told the publication, the two men aged 26 and 36, were 'very apologetic' following their arrest in Farnworth, near Bolton.

The pair told the force they wouldn't commit the same actions again and deleted their YouTube channel.

GMP said both victims and locals were 'happy with the outcome', and that a rabbi who had been sprayed did not want to pursue further action.

The spokesman said: 'Ultimately, we must be victim-led. The victims didn't wish to support any form of prosecution or go to court. We cannot force them.

'The issue is taken seriously, and it was dealt with as a crime, hence the arrests within less than 24 hours.'

The force said they would always encourage victims of hate crimes to report incidents so they can be probed.

They added that if victims wanted to pursue legal action, and the force is able to satisfy the CPS evidence threshold for charging suspects, then they would do so.

In 2024, religious hate crime rose by 25 per cent. With crimes targeted at Jewish people more than doubling from the previous year.

Violence on the rise

In London, the number of anti-semitic hate crimes reported to Met Police corresponded to nearly one per every 1,000 Jews of the 270,000 that live in London, making it eight times higher than the rate per 1,000 Muslims living in London.

Figures from the Community Security Trust's (CST) Anti-semitic Incidents Report from January to June this year state that 1,978 instances of anti-Jewish hate were recorded across the UK in the first six months of this year, up 105 per cent on the same period last year.

Just over half were linked to, or referenced, the Hamas atrocities of October 7 last year, Israel, the Palestinian territories or the subsequent war, the charity said.

The total included one incident of 'extreme violence' - an alleged arson attack on a residential property - during the period, the report said.

Cases of assault jumped 41 per cent period-on-period from 86 to 121.

Teachers also warned last month that anti-semitism is now rife in schools across the UK.

Swastika graffiti in schools

A survey undertaken by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) revealed that more than half (51 per cent) of Jewish teachers have experienced some form of anti-semitism since May 2023.

Of the more than 300,000 members surveyed, 44 per cent also reported witnessing swastika graffiti at their schools, while 39 per cent have been subjected to Nazi-related comments.

One Jewish teacher even reported having students shout 'free Palestine' at them 'on multiple occasions', while, in another instance, someone shouted 'f*** the Jews'.

Meanwhile, members of teaching staff recalled instances where they had been told 'it's not racist to say Jews are rich - it's just a fact', while others said they had been assumed to be Israeli, rather than British.