Moment pro-Palestine activist follows and pesters Jewish Little Britain star Matt Lucas at a London Tube station
Matt Lucas has been praised online for his cool demeanor after being greeted by a pro-Palestinian activist on the London Underground.
The 51-year-old British comedian was followed and filmed by Thomas Abdullah Bourne, who converted to Islam and used the ‘White British Muslim’ social media account.
The clip begins with Mr. Lucas riding an escalator at a subway station, wearing a black jacket, red sweater and white hat.
The Little Britain star tries to cover her face with her right hand when she realizes she’s being filmed.
Mr Bourne then shouts ‘Free Palestine’. Free Palestine, from Matt Lucas to the famous comedian.
After coming down the escalator upstairs, Mr. Lucas acknowledged the person following him and asked: ‘Hello, how are you?’
Mr. Bourne said, ‘You don’t like what I’m wearing, do you?’ – A reference to the ‘keffiyeh’, the traditional black-and-white checkered cotton scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity for many Western activists.
Instead of entering into an argument, Lucas simply responds: ‘No, I have no comment on that.’
Comedian Matt Lucas has been praised online for his cool demeanor after being greeted by a pro-Palestinian activist on the London Underground
The Little Britain star first covered her face with her hand after realizing she was being filmed on the escalator by Muslim Thomas Abdullah Bourne, who uses the ‘White British Muslim’ social media account.
After descending the escalator upstairs, Mr. Lucas took a moment to greet the person following him and asked: ‘Hello, how are you?’
The activist then asks him: ‘Do you have a problem with Palestinians, Matt?’
Mr Lucas simply replies ‘No’ before trying to move the camera away from his face.
Mr Bourne replied: “Don’t do that, don’t take my stuff” before Mr Lucas walked away, while the protester muttered “Zionist” to the camera.
It is not entirely clear why Mr. Lucas was targeted by the activist; many commentators online attribute this solely to his Jewish heritage.
Mr Lucas was one of the signatories of the ‘No Hostages Left Behind’ open letter celebrating the release of two American and two Israeli hostages in October 2023, but he has not been a particularly vocal presence on the conflict.
The letter also thanked then-US President Joe Biden for his “unwavering moral belief, leadership and support for the Jewish people” in Israel’s fight against Hamas.
Mr. Lucas grew up in a Reform Jewish family, although his parents were of Orthodox Jewish descent.
However, in the past he has described himself as an ‘atheist’ and a ‘fairly secular Jew’.
Mr Lucas rejected questioner’s claim that he ‘had a problem with the Palestinians’
Mr Bourne’s original post, which he later deleted following backlash from other users on social media
Several members of the comedian’s mother’s family fled Nazi Germany just before World War II.
Mr Lucas appeared on the BBC genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are? He was stunned to learn that a relative was listed in Anne Frank’s diary.
The comedian, who made his name as George Dawes in the surreal Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer vehicle Shooting Stars, traveled to Amsterdam to learn more about his German-born Jewish family.
While researching the past, Matt discovered that one of his ancestors – Werner Goldschmidt – had stayed with the Frank family before being captured by the Nazis and was even mentioned in the teenager’s world-famous diary.
On social media, Mr Lucas was praised for his calmness in his interactions with the activist at the tube station.
One poster said: ‘How disgusting but I think Matt Lucas handled it calmly and well. He shouldn’t have had to do this though.
‘If Jewish people cannot go about their business and use public transport without being harassed and intimidated, then we are entering a situation similar to Nazi Germany.’
Another said: ‘I’m no expert on geopolitics, but I’m not really sure asking Matt Lucas to ‘liberate’ Palestine would have much impact, as I understand his trade is more geared towards the entertainment industry than magic wand-waving Middle East diplomacy.’
A third added: ‘This is not clear. ‘I hate the genocide in Gaza as much as anyone, but harassing Jews on their way to a football match is pathetic.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mr Lucas’ representatives for comment.
There has been a huge increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK since the October 7 attacks two years ago.
More than 1,200 people were slaughtered when Hamas-led militants raided Israel in October 2023. The attacks prompted Israel to launch a war on Gaza.
