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Abuser filmed calling family ‘dirty Jews’ in St Albans
Video shows stranger hurl antisemitic abuse outside cafe and kick advertisement board
Police are investigating reports a man called a family “dirty Jews” and shoved their pram outside a cafe in St Albans at the weekend.
Hertfordshire Constabulary said it was investigating reports of a racially aggravated assault in St Albans on Sunday.
The offender walked past the family and allegedly shoved the 30-year-old victim’s pram, which his nephew was in, police said.
A video filmed by the victim appears to show a man wearing an orange T-shirt and trousers call the family “dirty Jews” and kick an advertising board towards them.
“At that point I took out my phone and started filming and asked him to repeat it, which he did,” the victim told the Independent.
In the video, the voice of a relative can be heard instructing their child not to “listen to this nasty man”.
The victim, known as Michael, said he wears a kippah and claimed the incident took place while he, his in-laws and their baby were out on Sunday.
“It was a bit of a shock [and] completely unprovoked. It was very upsetting and very distressing,” he said.
“Obviously this comes at a time of rising antisemitism in the UK. It’s very uncomfortable.”
Michael told the newspaper he felt the recent spike in hate crimes was connected to the antisemitism crisis in the Labour Party.
“We all know that there is antisemitism in one of the largest political parties in the UK and when antisemitism is accepted by a leading political figure and not tackled properly it means that people on the street sometimes think they can get away with it,” he said.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Constabulary said: “Victims of hate crime can be reassured that they will be taken seriously and treated with sensitivity.”
The incident allegedly took place at around 2.15pm on August 4 outside Costa Coffee in St Peters Street.
Witnesses and anyone with information should contact the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/70651/19.
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