This is the shocking moment four men tried to force a Jewish pedestrian into the boot of their car in north London.
Police launched an investigation into an alleged anti-Semitic hate crime after images posted online showed the man appeared to be targeted by the group in Stamford Hill.
The men are seen parking and getting out of their car before allegedly demanding that their victim get into the trunk.
The Jew walks away from the men on the street while talking on the phone before one appears to jump towards him in a threatening manner.
Only when the Jew threatens to call the police do the men return to the car and drive away.
North London neighborhood watch group Shomrim, which monitors areas with large Jewish communities, this afternoon issued an alert about what they called an “attempted kidnapping”.
The incident comes amid growing concerns about anti-Semitic abuse in Britain, fueled by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas following the militant group’s terrorist attacks on October 7.
A young Jewish man was threatened by a group who stopped their car to approach him
Images of the incident in Stamford Hill, north London, have been shared online.
Neighborhood watch group Shomrim asked for information about the “kidnapping attempt”
The clip was shared on X, accompanied by the words: “Jewish man threatened by 4 men who demanded he get into the trunk of their car.”
Shomrim said they and the Metropolitan Police were appealing for any information and sightings of the car involved, a black VW T Cross with registration number EA24 VXF.
The incident occurred on Moundfield Road in Stamford Hill, near Tottenham, north London, an area with a large Orthodox Jewish community.
Shromrim’s online post said “the incident ended when the victim said he was calling the police and other vehicles approached.”
They appealed for anyone who can help to contact Hackney Police, using crime reference CAD 3224 28/04/24.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “An investigation is underway following an attempted kidnapping of a man in Stamford Hill.
‘At around 5.24pm on Friday 26 April, the victim, a Jewish man, was walking along Moundfield Road, N16 when a car pulled up alongside him and two men got out of the vehicle.
‘One of the men approached the victim and allegedly told him to get into the boot of the car, shortly before driving off.
‘The incident was reported to the police and officers based in Hackney launched an investigation.
‘We are aware that a video has been shared online and this will form part of our enquiries. We are in contact with the Shomrim and our investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this time.
‘Anyone with information should call 101, quoting reference CAD 5836/26APR. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.’
Horrified viewers responded online, with one saying: “That’s absolutely terrifying.”
Another wrote: ‘He’s just a kid. How dare they treat people like this?
Shomrim was also told: “That is surely a crime, but it seems more like idiotic behavior than a real kidnapping attempt.”
Shomrim shared images of the alleged kidnapping attempt on X, formerly Twitter.
The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who heads the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), was threatened with arrest for appearing “overtly Jewish” at a pro-Palestine march last week.
The Mail On Sunday reported today how a Holocaust memorial was covered up in London’s Hyde Park over fears it could be attacked by vandals at a pro-Palestine demonstration.
Hyde Park authorities yesterday hid Britain’s first public memorial to the 6 million victims of the Nazi genocide under a blue tarp, in a move that a Holocaust survivor described as “shameful.”
The monument was then guarded by Metropolitan Police officers to prevent it from being attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters who marched through London in protest against the war in Gaza.
Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, urged the world to wake up to the scourge of antisemitism after another day of swastikas flying in London.
Seeing the shrine covered, he said: ‘It is shameful. Seeing this, it feels like they are winning.
‘Those who hate Jews, those who deny the Holocaust, are winning because we are afraid of them.
“I just wish the Western world would stand up to these people, instead of running away, covering up monuments and apologizing.”
Conservative peer Lord Pickles, the UK’s special envoy on post-Holocaust issues, said seeing the memorial wrapped in plastic sheeting “sends a terrible message to Jews in London and across the UK”.
Lord Pickles, who has been spearheading efforts to build a national Holocaust memorial next to the Houses of Parliament, said: “The sight of this beautiful Holocaust memorial wrapped in plastic sheeting is truly shocking.”
“Have we become so intimidated and fearful in this country that instead of expecting pro-Palestinian protesters to obey the law, we hide the monument to save it from vandalism?”
Scotland Yard faced further anger from Jewish groups on Saturday after a Holocaust memorial was covered over fears it would be vandalized by pro-Palestinian activists.
The monument consists of two rocks that lie within a bed of gravel, surrounded by a birch grove. It is inscribed in both English and Hebrew with the words “For these I weep.” Rivers of tears flow from my eyes for the destruction of my people’, which is a quote from the Book of Lamentations.
‘Shameful’: Holocaust survivor Noemí Ebenstein, 82, called for tougher measures against antisemitism after monument in Hyde Park was covered up as a ‘precautionary measure’
The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who heads the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was threatened with arrest for appearing “overtly Jewish” at a pro-Palestine march last week.
He had planned to lead a counter-protest with the CAA yesterday, but canceled it citing fears for the safety of Jewish participants.
Instead, only a few dozen counter-protesters gathered in Pall Mall, where they were protected by lines of police as up to 200,000 pro-Palestinians marched.
Officers arrested two men, one for holding a sign with a swastika and another for an alleged racist comment toward counterprotesters.
Police were also investigating other offensive posters, including one comparing Israelis to the Ku Klux Klan and another claiming the media and government are “controlled by Zionists.”
Nine in ten British Jews say they would avoid traveling to a city center if a large anti-Israel demonstration were to take place, according to a CAA survey.
Royal Parks said it contacted the Met in relation to the protests and said: “The Hyde Park Holocaust memorial is routinely covered with tarpaulin during various events as a precautionary measure.”
Met deputy commissioner Matt Twist said before the march: “Our aims this weekend are to protect the right to protest and keep the peace.”
There have been regular marches in the capital condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza in response to the October 7 massacre by Hamas militants that killed 1,200 civilians and took 235 others hostage from southern Israel.
