A man in London who was caught writing offensive words on posters of kidnapped Israeli children is thought to have lost his job after footage of the incident went viral.
In footage posted to social media this week, the unidentified man, who was wearing Hi Vis clothing as part of Carlisle Support Services, was confronted after writing “coloniser” on the posters of kidnapped Israeli civilians that are currently believed to be held by Hamas.
The woman recording the incident confronted the man and requested that he “please stop” writing the offensive phrase on the poster of a 2-year-old girl. She added that she knows people who have died as a result of Hamas’s terrorist attacks against Israel last Saturday, which claimed the lives of over 1,400 Israelis.
The man, admitting that it was “not the fault” of the child, claimed the act was “not hurtful” and asked why the recorder was “shouting” at him.
The clip of the incident, which took place Tuesday morning outside the central pharmacy in West End Lane, West Hampstead, was posted to Twitter/X by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and has been viewed over half a million times.
This man was caught writing “coloniser” on posters of hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) October 17, 2023
The incident took place this morning on West End Lane in West Hampstead.
If you have further information about him, please e-mail contact@antisemitism.org pic.twitter.com/sRg7aX9zgD
Carlisle Support Services said they were made aware of a member of their staff writing “discriminatory messages” on posters.
They said: “We do not tolerate such behaviour and are dealing with the incident accordingly, with the relevant authorities also notified.”
Thank you for setting a great example.
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) October 17, 2023
Other employers should take note. https://t.co/saaVqYJK7z
The CAA commended the actions taken against the individual and said defacing posters of missing people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists was “about the lowest of the low”.
A spokesperson said: “This vile behaviour appears to be an attempt to conceal the barbaric abductions and shield the terrorist group behind them from the disgust that the public feels. It is frightening to think that such animus towards Jews exists on the streets of Britain.
“We are grateful to the courageous members of the public who brought this incident to our attention and even confronted the individual, and to his employer for taking swift action against him.”
There are over 200 Israeli hostages of all ages still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. A demonstration of several hundred people to demand their release took place Sunday in Parliament Square, organised by Israelis living in the UK.
