This is the pro-Palestinian activist who followed and pestered Matt Lucas as he tried to leave the London Underground.
Thomas Abdullah Bourne, 39, a Islamic convert who uses the social media handle ‘White British Muslim’, approached the Jewish comedian, 51, over the weekend.
The clip shows the fundraising consultant from East London shouting ‘Free Palestine’ at the celebrity before continuing to harass him by asking ‘you don’t like what I’m wearing, do you?’ – referring to his keffiyeh.
Mr Bourne has become a well-known face amongst pro-Palestinian protest groups in London, often being pictured at rallies and at one time with Jeremy Corbyn.
Following the Palestine Action ban last summer, which has since been ruled as unlawful, Mr Bourne vowed to continue the group’s work.
Campaigning outside the Royal Courts of Justice as the ban was enforced in July, the protester said that he would ‘absolutely’ continue his support for the group, even if it became proscribed.
He said: ‘Absolutely, with all of my heart. I am sure everyone here would also. No one is listening to us and the government is proscribing them.’
After the clip of Mr Bourne accosting Mr Lucas went viral, he quickly deleted his Instagram accounts.
Thomas Abdullah Bourne (right), 39, a Islamic convert who uses the social media handle ‘White British Muslim’, is the pro-Palestine activist who was pestering Matt Lucas this morning (Pictured wearing a ‘keffiyah’ with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn)
The fundraising consultant has posted dozens of clips online of himself at various rallies and protests (Pictured wearing a hat featuring the Palestinian flag)
A video clip which emerged on social media this morning showed Bourne pestering Lucas on the London Underground and shouting, ‘Free Palestine. Free Palestine, Matt Lucas’
However, dozens of images of Mr Bourne at various rallies remain online.
In the photograph with former Labour leader Mr Corbyn, Mr Bourne is seen wearing a keffiyeh – the traditional, black-and-white chequered cotton scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity for many Western activists.
He is also wearing a fake press hat in the photograph.
In other pictures, the tall, ginger-haired man is seen linking arms with other protesters while wearing a t-shirt that reads ‘stop the geneocide, end apartheid, free Palestine’.
Last month, he was seen outside the Royal Courts of Justice with a sign that read: ‘UK Government kneecapping justice with fabricated charges.’
In the video showing his exchange with the comedian, Mr Lucas is seen wearing wearing a black jacket, red jumper and white cap, riding an escalator in a Tube station.
As he realises he is being filmed, the Little Britain star attempts to block his face with his right hand.
Mr Bourne then shouts ‘Free Palestine. Free Palestine, Matt Lucas’ to the celebrity comic.
In other pictures, the tall, ginger-haired man (centre) is seen linking arms with other protesters while wearing a t-shirt that reads ‘stop the genocide, end apartheid, free Palestine’
Mr Bourne has become a well-known face amongst pro-Palestinian protest groups in London
After getting off the escalator at the top, Mr Lucas acknowledges his pursuer, asking: ‘Hi, how are you?’
Mr Bourne responds ‘You don’t like what I’m wearing, do you?’ – a reference to the ‘keffiyeh’.
Rather than engage in debate, Lucas simply responds: ‘No, I have no comment about it either way.’
The activist then asks him: ‘You’ve got a problem with Palestinians, Matt?’
Mr Lucas responds simply ‘No’ before attempting to push the camera out of his face.
Mr Bourne responds ‘Don’t do that, don’t grab my stuff’ before Mr Lucas walks away, with the protester muttering ‘Zionist’ to the camera.
It is not clear precisely why Mr Lucas was targeted by the activist, with many online commenters attributing it simply to his Jewish heritage.
Mr Lucas was a signatory to the ‘No Hostage Left Behind’ open letter in October 2023 celebrating the release of two American and two Israeli hostages but has not been a particularly vocal presence on the conflict.
The missive also thanked then US President Joe Biden for his ‘unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people’ in Israel’s fight against Hamas.
Mr Lucas was raised in a Reform Jewish household, although his parents came from Orthodox Jewish backgrounds.
However, he has described himself as an ‘atheist’ and ‘fairly secular Jew’ in the past.
Several members of the comedian’s mother’s family fled Nazi Germany just before the Second World War.
When Mr Lucas appeared on the BBC’s genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? he stunned to learn a relative of his featured in Anne Frank’s diary.
The comic, who made his name as George Dawes on the surreal Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer vehicle Shooting Stars, travelled to Amsterdam to learn more about his German-born Jewish family.
Lucas initially covered his face with his hand after noticing he was being filmed on the escalator by Bourne and was praised for keeping his cool
Mr Bourne’s post of the video, which he later deleted after backlash from other users on social media
And during the exploration into the past, Matt discovered that one of his ancestors – Werner Goldschmidt – lodged with the Frank family before they were captured by the Nazis and even had a mention in the teenager’s world-famous journal.
On social media Mr Lucas was praised for his calmness in his interactions with the activist at the underground station.
One poster wrote: ‘How disgusting, but I think Matt Lucas handled it calmly & well. He shouldn’t have had to though.
‘If Jewish people can’t go about their business & travel on public transport without being harassed & intimidated then we have entered a situation familiar to Nazi Germany.’
Another said: ‘I’m no geo-political expert, but I’m really not sure that asking Matt Lucas to “free” Palestine is going to have much effect, as I understand his trade is geared more towards the entertainment industry than magic-wand-waving Middle East diplomacy.’
A third added: ‘That’s not on. I hate the genocide in Gaza as much as the next person, but harassing Jewish people when they’re going to a football match is pathetic.’
The Daily Mail reached out to Mr Lucas’s representatives for comment.
There has been a huge rise in antisemitic incidents across the UK since the October 7 attacks over two years ago.
More than 1,200 people were massacred when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in October 2023. The attacks prompted Israel to start a war on Gaza, which is believed to have killed around 70,000 people living there.
There has been a notable rise in antisemitic incidents taking place across the country since the start of the Israel Hamas war. Photos taken in December 2023 showed a bus stop in Stamford Hill, London, covered in graffiti showing a Star of David with a cross spray-painted over the top
Polling carried out last year shockingly revealed that one in five Britons now hold or agree with anti-Semitic views.
The findings showed that the number of people holding what would be considered entrenched anti-Semitic views has doubled in less than five years.
The survey, which was carried out by YouGov, found that an astounding 21% of the public now hold or agree with anti-Semitic views, compared to 16 per cent in 2024. In 2021, the figure was only 11 per cent.
It also found that a staggering 45% believe that Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews.
This is a record figure and a huge increase from last year’s prior record of 33%. This belief was most prevalent in young people (60%) and in Londoners (48%).
The alarming figures are the highest since the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) began carrying out similar surveys a decade ago. The CAA labelled the figures ‘deeply alarming’ and said there are ‘stronger indicators of the rise of extremism in our country’.