Palestine activist who filmed himself intimidating Matt Lucas says backlash cost him his job
Thomas Abdullah Bourne, who shouted “Free Palestine” at the Jewish comedian on the London Underground claims he was dismissed after the video sparked outrage
A pro-Palestine activist who filmed himself confronting comedian Matt Lucas on the London Underground has claimed he lost his job following the backlash to the incident.
Thomas Abdullah Bourne posted a video online showing himself approaching the Little Britain star at a Tube station and repeatedly shouting political slogans at him. Bourne followed Lucas up an escalator while filming the interaction and urging him to respond to questions about Palestine.
In the footage, Bourne repeatedly calls out to the actor: “Free Palestine. Free Palestine, Matt Lucas.”
Lucas, who was heading up an escalator, initially tried to defuse the situation and replied: “Hi, how are you.”
Bourne then said: “You don’t like what I’m wearing.”
Lucas responded calmly: “No, I have no comment about it either way.”
The activist continued following the comedian, asking: “You have a problem with Palestinians?”
Lucas replied simply: “No.”
When the comedian attempted to push the phone away from his face, Bourne objected, saying: “You can’t do that, you can’t touch my stuff.”
As Lucas walked away from the encounter, Bourne muttered: “Zionist.”
The video was posted to Bourne’s social-media account, where he wrote: “You ever meet someone you grew up watching…and wish you hadn’t? Appalled doesn’t cover it.”
However, the clip quickly triggered a backlash online. After criticism intensified, the video was deleted along with the account that had shared it.
Jewish groups condemned the incident as harassment. A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “If you’re Jewish in Britain, there’s a good chance you may be harassed by pro-Palestine fanatics as they attempt to force you to denounce Israel – the world’s only Jewish state – in order to pass their perverse purity tests.
“This type of racist intimidation makes no exceptions, as actor and comedian Matt Lucas found out when he was accosted while simply trying to go about his day. Intimidating Jewish celebrities is not some righteous form of progressive activism. It is the behaviour of dangerous obsessives and needs to be called out as such.”
A spokesman for the Jewish Leadership Council also criticised the confrontation, saying: “Shouting ‘free Palestine’ at a Jew isn’t supporting Palestinians, it’s just plain antisemitism.”
The Community Security Trust said the incident was deeply troubling, with a spokesperson stating: “It is absolutely shocking that a public figure would be harassed in this way simply because he is Jewish. No one should be subjected to this kind of behaviour, which appeared to be a frightening and threatening experience.”
Lucas, who is Jewish but describes himself as largely secular, has not publicly commented further on the confrontation. The comedian remained composed throughout the encounter and attempted to disengage from the activist filming him.
Bourne, who has been active in pro-Palestinian campaigning for years, later said the controversy surrounding the video resulted in him losing his job.
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