Conspiracy theorist guilty of stirring up racial hatred with antisemitic graffiti
Nicholas Lalchan, 49, defaced 17 bus stops around Edgware, Hendon and Finchley, with daubings that called Jewish and gay people “gray aliens” and referenced the New World Order
A conspiracy theorist has been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred through a campaign of antisemitic graffiti, thanks in part to Jewish News.
Nicholas Lalchan, 49, used a black marker pen to deface 17 bus stops and the window of an accountancy firm in north-west London between February and July 2019.
The cost of the damage to Transport for London was said to be £100 for each bus stop.
Lalchan had admitted criminal damage and having black marker pens to use in the offence.
Following a two-day trial, he was also found guilty of stirring up racial hatred, which he had denied.
A jury at a Nightingale court near the Barbican in central London could not decide on other charges alleging that the criminal damage was racially and religiously aggravated.
Prosecutor David Patience had told the court how Jewish and non-Jewish people alike had been upset at seeing the graffiti and reported it to police.
The graffiti called Jewish and gay people “gray aliens”, made reference to a “new world order” and encouraged searches of YouTube and Google for various conspiracy theories, jurors heard.
It appeared in areas including Edgware, Hendon and Finchley with large Jewish communities.
In March 2019 graffiti was reported to police by a Jewish News journalist. The daubing at a bus stop in Edgware, encouraging people to watch clips including: “Talmud quotes + (about goyim)”, which when searched leads to antisemitic videos calling Judaism an ‘evil’ tradition which promotes paedophilia and that hates non-Jews.
Other videos listed for people to search include “Rothschild Trillions quantified” and “New World Order Agenda”, which brings up antisemitic conspiracy theories, with clips about the Rothschilds banking family running the world, and controlling governments and the financial systems.
The graffiti also tells people to search about Kabalah (Jewish mysticism) as well as clips about aliens and an arrest warrant for the Queen and the Pope.
Other incidents were reported on by Jewish News later in March 2019.
Lalchan was caught after a community support officer recognised him from a still image of the culprit.
When police went to arrest him at his home in Edmonton, north London, he was carrying a backpack containing black marker pens and leaflets saying similar things to the graffiti.
A search of his home produced more leaflets and pens and a USB stick containing material making reference to Jewish people and conspiracy theories.
Lalchan was also incriminated when his handwriting was compared to the graffiti.
The court heard that on being being charged, he said: “New world order. The fourth Reich. We will see.”
Jurors were told that the defendant accepted it was him that daubed the graffiti on the bus stops but denied it was motivated by religious or racial hostility.
Following the verdicts on Thursday, Judge Judge Gerard Pounder adjourned sentencing until December 1 at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
The outstanding charges will not be proceeded with and the defendant was granted continued bail.
Hey @MPSEdgwareQA @TfLBusAlerts.
Waiting at the bus stop in Edgware outside the Railway pub. The shelter has been vandalised with loads of antisemitic slogans about the Rothschild trillions and the Talmud.
A fair few Jewish people in this area. Not nice to see.. Have a look… pic.twitter.com/Pcv0SXbsfc
— Jack Mendel ????️ (@Mendelpol) March 21, 2019
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
