Hate crime probe launched after 'evil' man filmed destroying memorial to victims of October 7 massacre
7 October 2024, 09:17 | Updated: 7 October 2024, 13:27
An investigation has been launched by police after a man was filmed destroying a memorial to the victims of the October 7 massacre.
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The memorial in Hove, near Brighton in East Sussex, was destroyed by the individual on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack which killed 1200 Israelis.
The man, dressed in a beige tracksuit and cap, can be seen tossing flowers, cuddly toys and other objects - including a memorial plaque - into nearby bushes.
Police said they are aware of the incident - which they are now treating as a hate crime.
No suspects have yet been arrested.
The footage, reposted on social media by Heidi Bachram - wife of Adam Ma'anit, whose Israeli family members were taken hostage and murdered by Hamas during the attack - shows the as-yet unidentified man trashing the memorial on October 6.
Warning: This video contains strong language
Man in Brighton trashes October 7th memorial
"I hope the police can now put out an appeal for the violent antisemite who did this now we have video evidence. I wish I knew who the defender of the memorial was so I could thank him," she wrote in a post to X.
Two members of the public can then be seen approaching the man as he destroys the memorial, before warding him away from the area.
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The incident came ahead of the first anniversary of the attack, which sparked a widening war in the Middle East.
A Sussex Police statement said: "We are aware of a video circulating online of a man damaging a Jewish memorial in Hove".
Detective Supt Newman said: "We understand the distress this may cause, and we are treating this incident as a hate crime."
It’s Jewish New Year and a violent antisemite has completely destroyed our 7/10 memorial in Brighton. It has been here for 10 months and attacked over 20 times but I have never seen it this ferocious. I dread to think what they could do to a human being. pic.twitter.com/l2R94x00fl
— Heidi Bachram 🎗️ (@HeidiBachram) October 3, 2024
One social media user wrote: "A man like that is a menace to any community. If he’s willing to do this, he’s capable of a lot more when no one is looking."
While another user wrote in response to the post: "What an evil being. I hop[e] the police take draconian action against him to warn others off."
A third commented: "A frightening lack of empathy for human beings- same psychopathic behavior exhibited by those tearing down the posters.
"These savages are a symptom of a country’s fatal disease, eroding trust, collaboration, fracturing communities & halting progress. Antisemitism is just a start."
We are aware of a video circulating online of a man damaging a Jewish memorial in Hove.
— Sussex Police (@sussex_police) October 6, 2024
Detective Supt Newman said,
"We understand the distress this may cause, and we are treating this incident as a hate crime."
Information can be reported online or via 101, ref 158 of 04/10. pic.twitter.com/hMwPjT74XL
The vandalism took place just hours before the families of the 97 missing Israelis and 1200 victims gathered for a vigil at the site of the massacre to pay their respects.
The vigil in Israel saw President, Isaac Herzog, marked the first anniversary of the brutal massacre in a moving statement.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer says that Brits must "stand with the Jewish community" as he reiterated calls for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre in Israel.
