Man arrested and charged after ‘Jews gonna get beheaded’ video in East London
Metropolitan police confirmed that Muhammed Rachid, 18, was charged and will appear at Thames Magistrates Court on Tuesday
Police have confirmed they have made an arrest and charged an 18 year old after widespread anger at a video circulated on social media showing a man in East London saying “Jews gonna get beheaded one by one” while talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the footage, viewed thousands of times on Friday, an individual is seen saying “Free Palestine…from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” following that by saying “You Jews…are gonna get beheaded one by one, you dirty Jews.”
In a statement on Monday, a Met police spokesperson said: “A man has been arrested after a video of a hate crime, taking place on Friday, 15 May on Whitechapel Road, Tower Hamlets, was reported to police.
“The man, aged 18, was arrested on Monday, 18 May on suspicion of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of immediate unlawful violence and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour likely to cause or provoke immediate unlawful violence.
“He remains in police custody. Enquiries are ongoing.
“We understand that incidents like this cause significant concern and we take all reports incredibly seriously. Hate crime of any kind has no place in our communities.”
On Tuesday, police confirmed that “a man has been charged…Mohammed Rachid, 18 (02.08.07), of Schoolhouse Lane, Limehouse, has now been charged with a racially-aggravated public order offence. He is remanded in custody to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court this morning, Tuesday, 19 May.”
The Shomrim Jewish community group (London North & East), had posted the footage of the incident on Friday, described it as a “horrific video circulating on social media showing a gentleman threatening to behead Jews and much more”.
Shomrim went on to say it was “aware of the fact that the Orthodox Jewish community is exceptionally concerned about these threats” and said it was “working closely” with the police in relation to the footage.
Earlier this month, the Met announced the creation of a new dedicated community protection team, initially to be comprised of 100 extra officers, which it described would “bring together neighbourhood policing, specialist protection and counter terrorism capabilities, providing a more visible, intelligence‑led and coordinated presence focused on protecting Jewish communities across London.
“This approach reflects what we know works best: officers who are locally based, understand their communities, and have strong relationships with residents, schools, faith leaders and volunteers. This new team brings together some of the experienced local officers already working in these areas, who will be joined by additional officers as funding allows.
“It marks the beginning of a new, more sustainable and consistent model of protection built around local knowledge, visibility and partnership, rather than relying solely on repeated short‑term surges.”
The Met’s statement also acknowledged that “British Jews now appear on the hate lists of every major extremist movement: extreme right‑wing groups, Islamist terrorists, elements of the extreme left and hostile state actors. It is a deeply concerning convergence, and Jewish communities are living with the consequences of that risk daily.”
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