Trainee pharmacist sentenced after writing “hope we kill hundreds more of you” to Israel student society following action by CAA
A trainee pharmacist was sentenced in court yesterday for a message he sent on social media to a university’s Israel student society.
Mohammad Al Accad, 24, also known as Suhail, pleaded guilty to sending a grossly offensive communication at Manchester Magistrates’ Court. The charge related to a message that he sent to the Israel Society at University College London which read: “F*** you and your people, hope we kill hundreds more in the coming days.”
The message was sent on 7th October 2023 in response to a statement published by the society condemning Hamas’ barbaric attacks in Israel on the same day. During the attacks, terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages.
Campaign Against Antisemitism reported the contents of the message to the police, Prevent and Mr Accad’s employer after speaking with the victim.
The police offered to facilitate an apology from Mr Al Accad to the victim in lieu of a prosecution, which was rejected.
We also reported the defendant to the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Mr Al Accad was identified by Campaign Against Antisemitism and arrested following a police investigation. During his police interview, he admitted to sending the message, saying he had done so in reaction to recent events.
Despite his admission, the defendant initially claimed that his message was not grossly offensive.
Mr Al Accad was ordered to pay a fine of £675, which was uplifted from a Band B fine to a Band C fine due to the racially/religiously aggravated nature of the offence. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £270 and £85 towards prosecution costs.
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Mohammad Al Accad’s sentencing marks a victory against those who feel that they can target Jewish students with antisemitic hatred. When antisemitism crosses the criminal threshold, we will do whatever it takes to secure justice. Let this verdict send a clear message to those who target Jews. Ruinous consequences await them.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of just under nine hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than twelve times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].
