Shocking moment ‘evil old man’ destroys memorial to victims of October 7 massacre as horrified onlooker asks ‘why’
AN “EVIL old man” has been caught on film heartlessly destroying a memorial to victims of the October 7 Hamas massacre.
The man was seen chucking flowers, as well as a plaque, a football and cuddly toys left in Hove, Brighton, as part of a tribute to those killed in Israel this time last year.
A woman filming can be heard saying “what the f***…why?” during the footage.
The thug – wearing a beige jacket and trousers and a black cap – is also seen tossing a planter so that the soil falls out.
Sussex Police said the incident was reported to them on Friday (October 4) and investigation is underway as the force works to identify the person responsible.
Today marks the first anniversary of the massacre, which saw militants attack attendees of Nova Festival before spreading to small communities – with nearly 2,000 people killed.
It comes as grieving families paid a moving pre-dawn tribute to the terror victims amid a huge security operation.
In the Brighton footage, a passerby can heard shouting “oi” in the video as the tribute saboteur rips up a photo.
The second man then positions himself between the thug and the memorial.
He says: “Go, go, get back, f*** off, go on.”
The video was posted on X on Sunday and captioned: “Breaking: A memorial honouring the victims murdered on October 7, 2023, in Israel by Hamas in Brighton, UK was completely destroyed by this man.
“Even dead Jews can not be left alone in peace.”
Another caption added: “Vandalism at its worst—disrespecting the memory of the innocent lives lost.”
Commenters were quick to condemn the man’s actions, with some calling for the vandal to be arrested.
One wrote: “This breaks my heart. I just cannot imagine how evil you have to be to do something like this.”
He was described as an “evil old man” by another person.
The passerby who intervened and shooed him away was praised.
A snap of the damaged memorial was later shared to Instagram.
The caption claimed it has been targeted 20 times in the last 10 months, but “never this ferociously”.
“It’s chilling to imagine what they could be capable of doing to a human being.
“Enough is enough.”
What happened on October 7?
On October 7 2023, militants of Hamas and other Palestinian nationalist groups launched co-ordinated armed attacks in the Gaza Envelope of southern Israel.
They perpetrators had managed to bypass Israeli defences to para-glide across the border, in what became the first invasion of the territory since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The horror coincided with the Jewish celebration of Simchat Torah, and initiated the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
A barrage of around 4,300 rockets were launched on Israel from the Gaza Strip in the early hours of October 7 before vehicles and powered paragliders crossed the border.
The Hamas fighters attacked military bases and massacred civilians in 21 communities, including Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Netiv Haasara, and Alumim.
The first civilian attack started at 6.29am at the Nova Music Festival site at Re’im, just three miles from Gaza.
More than 360 revellers were cut down as they desperately tried to flee.
Across October 7, an estimated 1,139 people were massacred and another 250 civilians and soldiers were taken hostage into Gaza.
The shrine was initially placed there in November last year, just weeks after the massacre.
It has attracted people from across the region and beyond, with a daily service even held there.
In June, a yellow ribbon tied around a tree by the Chief Rabbi at the shrine was also targeted, with stickers saying “Boycott Israel Apartheid” and “Free Palestine”.
Adam Ma’anit’s family were murdered on October 7 and his cousin Tsachi Idan is being held hostage in Gaza.
She helped set up the shrine.
She told the Jewish Chronicle: “Israelis and Jews are targets for both the far right and the pro-Palestinian movement.
“They dehumanise the hostages, demonise our community and target any symbols or memorials for their hate.
“No matter how many times they try to intimidate us, it will not work. They have destroyed our memorial 20 times, and each time, we build it back again. We will never let the haters win.”
Sussex Police in a statement: “We are aware of a video circulating online relating to a man damaging the Jewish memorial in Palmeira Square, Hove.”
Detective Superintendent Ben Newman said: “Following a report to police on October 4, we were saddened to learn of this act of vandalism against a memorial that holds great significance for many people.
“We understand the distress this may cause and we are treating this incident as a hate crime.
“An investigation is underway, and if you have information to help us identify the person responsible, we ask you to contact police.”
This can be done online, or by calling 101 quoting reference 158 of 04/10.