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Police hunt man pictured in Sainsbury’s wearing ‘Khaybar’ T-shirt
Shopper photographed in supermarket on Williamson Road, Haringey, wearing clothing that invoked historic massacre of Jews
Police have launched an investigation into a potential racially aggravated public order offence after a man was seen wearing a T-shirt bearing a violently antisemitic message in a supermarket near Stamford Hill.
The man was photographed in a Sainsbury’s on Williamson Road, Haringey, wearing a top bearing the Arabic words, “Khaybar Khaybar ya Yahud”. The phrase refers to the seventh-century Battle of Khaybar and forms part of a chant directed at Jews that has been heard at anti-Israel demonstrations.
The full chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar ya Yahud, Jaish Mohammed Sauf Ya’ud”, is commonly translated as: “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Mohammed will return.” Khaybar was a Jewish settlement in what is now Saudi Arabia which was conquered by Muslim forces led by Mohammed in 628 CE.
The man was spotted by a Jewish shopper who was at the supermarket with his family on 14 August and reported the incident to police.
A Met Police spokesperson told Jewish News: “Officers received a report that a man had been seen in a supermarket in Williamson Road, Haringey wearing a t-shirt with an alleged antisemitic wording on.
“The wording was not in English and while officers who initially spoke to the complainant a short time later were able to obtain a translation, they were understandably not aware of its meaning and historical context.
“Following subsequent discussions with officers with expertise in this area, the report has been recorded as a potential racially aggravated public order offence. Officers have been in contact with the victim and enquiries to identify the person involved are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this stage.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism described the T-shirt as “abhorrent intimidation” and called for the matter to be dealt with by police.
The investigation remains ongoing and officers are seeking to identify the man. No arrests have been made.
• Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, or anonymously on 0800 555 111
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