Brawl between orthodox Jews and traffic warden in Stamford Hill probed by police
A still from footage of the incident which has been circulating online
Police are probing an extraordinary mass brawl involving orthodox Jews and a traffic warden in Stamford Hill and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Footage of the incident, which happened shortly before 2pm on Monday in Leaside Road, has been circulating online, as has an unsubstantiated allegation that the traffic warden ran someone over.
Hackney Council has said the warden did nothing wrong and was subjected to “significant and unprovoked levels of intimidation, threats and harassment” in the run up to the incident.
The warden was apparently a contractor working for company APCOA, which said it would not tolerate abuse of its staff and would press for criminal charges against offenders wherever possible.
Videos published online show a group of men dressed in Hassidic Jewish attire apparently trying to undertake a citizens arrest. Parking has been a contentious issue in Stamford Hill, and the council recently brought in new controls in the area.
Scotland Yard today confirmed four men, aged in their 20s and 30s, suffered minor injuries during the incident. They did not require hospital treatment.
A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and was taken to a north London police station. He was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries to a date in mid-February.
Superintendent Jo Edwards from the Hackney branch of the Met said: “The footage circulating online at the moment only shows a snapshot of what happened, which is why it is important for people to come forward.
“We are aware of comments being made on social media and we want to make it clear that we take all allegations of crime seriously and a full investigation will be carried out to establish the full facts of the incident.”
Update: 1:10pm Friday 20 January 2017:
A spokesperson for APCOA, the parking management company, said: “APCOA takes the safety of our workers very seriously. We’re aware of an incident that occurred in Hackney on Monday 16 January.
“Some of the video footage being circulated on the internet is unrepresentative and does not cover the incident in its entirety.
“Our civil enforcement officer had a body-worn camera. That footage gives context to the incident, including the intimidation and violence our employee was subjected to. The police are investigating this incident, and APCOA are assisting in that investigation.
“We have shared our body-worn camera footage with the police to help them in their enquiries. We will not tolerate abuse of any kind against our staff, and we press for criminal charges to be brought against offenders wherever possible.”
Any witnesses or anyone with information can contact police via 101 or @MetCC. Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
This is no suprise at all, many people in my neighbourhood are getting very angry as they have nowhere to park, cars are being set alight, tires are being punctured, windows are being smashed. Really they need to direct their anger at the council for their poor implementation of CPZ. The council went against the will of the people when they first introduced it (99% said NO) and it has spread like a cancer lowering the quality of peoples lives throughout the borough. Next Wednesday 25th there is a full council meeting regarding CPZ It’s in every residents (who feel strongly about it) interest to show up and show their disgust at these vulture like people who deem to lead us and make us pay for parking in our own streets for which we already pay one of the highest council taxes in the land.
Shamus Adams Head of CPZ will be there for us to vent our anger – but he is not likely to do anything as the more CPZ the more he gets paid.
FYI – Mr Adams’s salary is in no way linked to the level of CPZ. Such a statement is deliberately inflammatory which is not helpful given the article, where tensions are already high.
I have sympathy with both sides, but fundamentally there aren’t enough parking permits in the Borough. The new developments springing up around Stamford Hill will all have restrictions preventing new residents obtaining residents parking permits, which will help. However, the only way to back this up is to implement a CPZ. Long term residents will still be able to obtain a residents parking permit, allowing them to park. The issue will be visitors to the area who do not have these – it will then be the responsibility of those being visited to ensure that they have visitors permits. These can easily be obtained from the Town Hall or online.
I appreciate it is a change of approach, but I don’t see a better way of managing the lack of space for more parking. Can it be seriously suggested that the Council should make space for a large car park when people need homes and schools? Of course not.
A similar system has been in operation for some time in my area of Hackney (with extensions to the CPZ) which caused some frustration/difficulty, but ultimately it worked for everyone.
People reallly shouldn’t expect the council to accommodate their cars
These sort of things are bound to happen when parking becomes a cash cow for the Labour run Hackney council.
APCOA is a private profit making company whose sole motive is to make money for their owners.
Apparently residents have advised me that complaints have been made in the past about that particular traffic warden who allegedly has been in the past involved with a hit and run with a pedestrian.
I was informed that Hackney Council ignored the complaint.
As a Councillor I take the safety of all residents or visitors seriously. Residents are entitled to go about their daily lives without risk of harassment or intimidation from anyone. This includes both employees and private subcontractors of Hackney Council who contrary to popular belief have to abide by a code of standards and ethics.
Likewise we won’t tolerate abuse on any of our residents and will press for criminal charges to brought against any of the perpetrators if caught abusing their position of power to the detriment of our residents.
I have been informed that pedestrians involved are assisting the Police with enquiries and contrary to what was reported elsewhere, residents needed medical treatment whilst the APCOA traffic warden was arrested.
How bizarre that a previous “hit and run” was reported to Hackney Council and not the police.
There is a racial element to this. The fact that the traffic warden was black cannot be dismissed.
If this had been a group of black men doing similar to a Jewish man, I have no doubt in my mind that all would have been arrested by now.
In fact what happened is that one person has been arrested and released on bail for what is really joint enterprise, vicious assault, battery and kidnapp.
This is how institutionalised racism works in policing, white privilege policing for some and racial profiling for the non white rest.
There are huge traffic problems in Stamford Hill, mainly because of the Orthodox Jewish community – LOTS of very bad driving; terrible parking in general (on yellow lines, double parking…), religious school mini-vans 6 days a week, driving too fast and never giving way; too many minicabs to accommodate Orthodox Jewish women who cannot drive – all this creating traffic chaos (residential roads being blocked; traffic jams; constant beeping at any time of the day and night). Many residents are really annoyed and have had enough, but don’t dare say anything in fear of being called ‘anti-Semitic’. The council needs to tackle these problems. Everyone has to obey traffic and parking rules, for the good of all.
Re- N16 FYI – Mr Adams’s salary is in no way linked to the level of CPZ. Such a statement is deliberately inflammatory which is not helpful given the article, where tensions are already high.
Mr Adams Salary is linked to his performance of how many tickets are issued etc and how he is able to spread the cancerous CPZ. He has already been proven to be a liar and a hypocrite on more than one occassion. If you feel that such a statement is inflammatory – that’s good – the more people that are aware of this councils corrupt operations/operators – the sooner it will be brought to justice.
Councilor Jacobson, have you actually read the article before commenting or did you deliberately blinded yourself to the fact that wardens body-cam footage confirms that he was subjected to intimidation and violence leading up to all that transpired on other social media videos.
Trying to please your thuggish residents to get votes eh? Try harder, Labour will still have majority in Hackney.
It’s the Labour-run council’s fault’s obviously!!! How to turn a civility/safety issue into some political-bashing…
You are right that incidents should be reported to the Police. The issue here is that Hackney Council did not deal with complaint irrespective
Myriam I like your lovely Jewish sounding name. FYI minicabs take cars of roads. 17 seater minibuses equals 17 fewer car journeys. You will find that the orthodox Jewish community who you criticise have lower car ownership than the general population.
Myriam no doubt some of your best friends are Jewish…..
Do you know for sure who has been arrested?
Please do not jump to conclusions and play the race card.
Everyone has to abide by the law and that includes traffic wardens who often seem to be a law unto themselves.
If you have any information as to what happened contact the Police
You are obviously know the whole story.
Please go to the Police as you both have so much to say. It would be good to see the whole footage from the bodycam not just bits which suit
I find it quite despicable that those who should know better are passing judgement.
I would love to know who you pair of trolls are. Unlike you I am not scared to put my name to comments I make.
I find it scary and I hope the traffic warden receives justice. Some people here like the good councillor seem to subtly be advocating/justifying violence and intimidation against the traffic warden and if you disagree then just as subtly accusing you of anti-semitism. If a white traffic warden had been assaulted in this way vs a group of black men, I doubt he would be the one to have been arrested in this way. This is being shared on social media. Justice!
I could be Jewish for all you know – I am just commenting on the traffic and parking issue in Stamford Hill, (where I have been living for 13 years) and the situation has been getting worse. I am pointing out bad driving behaviour.
Mr jacobson u sound so bias…for sure if it was a group of black guys doung that to a jewish person u would b crying anti semite…who would b scared of u..live on forburg road and happy to meet in person and every morning have issues with those mini buses cant even cross a zebra crossing safely with them around. Spend a few hours in the car with me and il show the problems caused by in particular ur community…call me what u like but thats a fact
Oh my days for a councillor your comments are shocking produce evidence to say the traffic warden has a record of sssault brfore this incident…be very careful what you say….uou have your own agenda which benefits you and your constituents…but please do not condone thuggish behaviour because he is not of your kind..shocking
Hello everyone.
Stop arguing here with silly comments. Get on with life
Thank you
As a long-time resident of Stamford Hill, I have to say i don’t find this incident in the least-bit surprising, nor shocking irrsespective of what may or may not have actually happened. Stamford Hill has no real enforcement when it comes to any aspect of road safety, it’s pretty much be left to do it’s own thing by both Hackney Council and the Met police. There is no ‘revenue’ to collect by PCO’s because there are no parking restrctions to enforce, almost no yellow lines on dangerous junctions off the main arterial road (Lower/upper clapton and the A10). So no PCO’s, veery little CCTV and a community that cleary feel they can drive in whatever manner they wish. I have been fortunate enough to have driven in many countries and can say without hesitation, the Hasidic communtiy has by far, the worst and most dangerous motorists ive ever seen. The ‘school-buses’ as mentioned by Counsellor Jacobson, are ‘allowed’ to carry those kids without the use of seat-belts and often with a driver using a mobile phone (another, seemingly endemic practice with the community the rest of us have to suffer) My daughter is too scared to rise her bike in the area due to the frequency of near misses she’s experienced while a passenger in my car..My own Vehicle, has been damaged on multiple occasions, the last time, i came out to see a batterd Toyota reversing into it, crushing the front wing and then driving off…standard practice it would seem. I have made several attempts to get Hackney council to explain wht there are no yellow lines at major T-junctions,, leaving motorists to park bumper to tail on such corners and severly restricting the visibilty of othe road users. they never respond.. The lsit goes on and on, it’s a shocking abandonment of those of us who drive according to the law, The last time I challenged a driver for dangerous driving with 5 kids in his car, none of whom were wearing seat-belts, i was told to “Go fuck mysel and mind my own business, while all of a sudden being surrounded by a similar crowd to that in the video attached to this thread. And yeah…i’ve been takne in to Stoke Newingtom police station an accused of anti-semitisim as a result of my attempts to make OUR community safer. At the last Met Police ‘awareness day’ on Stamord Hill common I questioned both police officers and representatives of Hackney council as to why this situation goes unchanged, both promised to respond to my questions, neither party (surprsie surprise) ever did. At one point as I was talking to a police officer while we stood at the edge of Upper Clapton Rd, I counted 14 vehicles drive past with 3/4/5 kids inside and none of them wearing seatbelts. I started to take photgraphic evidence but was asked to not do so by the police officer as my actions may be seen as infllamatory..he told me tha ‘consensus between local traffic enforcement is that becuase a geat number of the community have a liscence issued outsdie the UK, it’s often hard to make successful prosecutuions and that the paperwork and man-hours relating to this issues make it too time-consuming.
I have recently invited a documentary film-team to spend a few days here and will be compiling evidence to take to both local and national media outlets in a last-ditcj attempt to bring some sanity and safety onto OUR streets here.
Simon, so glad to see your comments here. I too was not surprised about the incident and expected it a long time ago. I was wondering when you would chime in but thought you wouldn’t because of your newly found fame 🙂 I saw your your tweet to the police about an incident on Dunsmure Rd. Hope something is done soon.
You know, after my past four comments on twitter to both local government and police relating to the dangerous conditions here, the next day i came out of my house to fins my tyres had nails hammered into them, My attempts to get the Shoramin to maybe do something to ‘protect’ the community are met with accusations of anti-semitisim or of being a ‘troll’…so i’ve tried Hackney Council, the Met Police and the Shoramin and none of them seem in any way willing to address the situation. The evidence to support the claims by those of us who are worried that sooner or later there will be a fatality go unanswered, in fact we are demonised..I really couldn’t give a fuck about the ileagal schools they don’t directly impact on my life, but when my own child is nearly killed by a lunatic barrelling down the road chatting on his mobile with numerous kids jumping about inside the back of his car, not once not twice but 4 times in the past 12 months..then it’s time to do something. The documentary I intend to make will expose the shocking lack of action taken by Hackney council and the Met..as for the drivers? That needs to be attended to by the law and their own community leaders surely? it strikes me that if an edict from a Rabbi living in the middle east can stop women drivng their kids to school, perhaps he would considering making another proclamation teliing his followers to put seatbelts on their children and stop driving while using mobile phones?
Mr mason couldnt agree with u more..maybe we should have our own traffic policing team like shomrim??
This was not a “brawl”. It was a cowardly attack by a group against one man doing his job. No one like to receive a PCN, however the rule and the law is universal and does not exclude citizens based on their colour, creed or Zionist tendencies.
It’s so nice to know that there is such an unbiased councillor on hand in these situations. I agree that the CPZ is used to wring more money out of citizens, but I don’t believe that citizens should be assaulting people because they dislike parking tickets. Should we also be suggesting that it’s ok to assault police officers because we disagree with them?
Unfortunately, the arrival in London as the new Israel ambassador – Mark Regev – has given this community a license to behave as if they were in Israel. It’s sad that he is using his position to vent his rage, mostly at the very successful BDS movement, via this route. Our politicians are so entrenched in ‘political correctness’ that they don’t understand the politics behind this aggression. The best that the Council can do is contain and discuss.
Complaints have been made about this warden is that because he dared do his job and issue tickets for wrongly parked cars and…for your information the only video is circulation is that taken by the public…it DOES NOT show the beginning or middle all it shows is the end where one man doing is job is attacked by a pack of thugs. The ONLY truth of the incident will be contained on the wardens body camera.
I totally agree. I live in the Stamford Hill vicinity and the blatant disregard for other road users is disgusting and the MAIN culprits are from the Jewish community who stop on road corners to pick up/drop off children which causes a tailback for traffic. I’ve seen children risk their lives by running across the road to access the mini vans. The drivers also have been seen to double park on and drive along pavements on Amhurst Park again putting pedestrian safety at risk….as for Dunsmure and Bethune Road well it’s only a matter of time before a serious incident or fatality occurs. However I must say that I’m pleased to often see traffic police operating more frequently especially in the rush hours. #RoadSafetyForAll
I’m so looking forward to your documentary and wholly support you
Seamus Adams was “moved” to another role many years ago when he worked at Tower Hamlets for cancelling the tickets he accrued on his Jag. Dodgy Geezer! Didn’t get sacked though! Was a big scandal when I worked there in the late 90s cos at the same time they sacked two bin men for accepting a Christmas bonus of a few quid each from a resident. Can’t trust a Service Head who is underhand and commits fraud! Shocked to see he is employed by Hackney! Shame on Hackney council and it’s Councillors for employing him.
I recognise all of those issues in Stamford Hill, but I would say that unfortunately members of all communities drive in a such a way, not just the Jewish community. However, you are absolutely right about the mini buses with unrestrained children, speeding on the roads and yes, the bus drivers using mobile phones at the wheel. I see them everyday, none of the vehicles look road worthy, some of them don’t even have all their windows, how someone could allow their child in to them is beyond me as they look lethal. It’s good they take cars off the road, but they must be made safer, for everyone and their drivers must be more considerate to other road users.
U N B E L I E V A B L E. It never ceases to be amaze, how you all have a knack of spinning things and blatantly lie, when defending your community.
maybe your tinpot argument would make sense if this incident actually happened anywhere near a CPZ. This is the spot:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5665016,-0.0507116,3a,75y,27.35h,83.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9aMZF5JVe5nkKk4Mmy-K6A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Go there any time the cash and carry is open and it’s a triple-parking free-for-all bonanza. Maybe the evil bogeyman traffic warden was just trying to do his job and keep the roads clear?
Good work shoehorning your reactionary parking issue into one of public order though
yeh and what about this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333381/Parking-watchdog-disgusted-double-standards-council-boss-gets-special-treatment-300-fine.html
Absolutely! And under Theresa May’s new jewish protection law, we’ll be guilty of a crime just for calling this what it was.
A group of zionist, accustomed to the privilege of an apartheid state and the immunity from charges because of WWII.
I always question why Europeans feel guilty about the Jew’s suffering BUT feel nothing for the decendents of slaves and imperial occupations.
Thanks! I do what I can to expose these corrupt people and it’s only “tinpot” until it affects you. Then it becomes much more important.
The latest update from Hackney Met Police:
An incident occurred on 16th January at Leaside Road E5 whereby a local Authority parking warden was detained by the public following allegations of assault.
The warden was arrested and interviewed in relation to the matter where he made cross allegations regarding those who had detained him, this male is currently on Police Bail.
An investigation was conducted and as a consequence two males were arrested this morning (1st February 2017) and are assisting with enquiries. They were arrested for Assault , False imprisonment and Affray.
The investigation remains on going at this time and Police continue to seek to identify anyone present at the scene.
I don’t think they’ll be giving up their buddies anytime soon. They never snitch and if they do, it will not be pretty.
I’ve lived around the ill for 30 years. The Hasidic Community seem far more extreme than years ago. For me there is a basic rule of law issue. I have only seen the footage of this incident on-line. Some things are very clear though. The Traffic Warden was repeatedly assaulted by various men while being restrained.
This incident is symptomatic of many members of this community. I have seen the appalling driving, the ridiculously dangerous construction practices, blocking streets with illegally closed roads for their festivals, etc, etc. If this community are allowed to do this they will continue.
I look at the behaviour and am reminded of orthodox jewish settlers in occupied parts of Palestine. In Israel the forces of law and order protect these people while they break the law of the land. It feels like this is the behaviour we are seeing on the Hill.
I also agree that had the tables been reversed, black men doing this to a Jew, all hell would have broken out. We have to tell it for what it is, an attack by many on one poor guy, whatever he did. It’s a public order offence for all those party to this and assault by those we can see punching and kicking this man.
I couldn’t give a damn that these people were jews, my family are jews – so what! The point is that they were out of control here and disregarding laws that apply to us all. It is this that needs to be addressed.
Take action , witness or recored a traffic incident report it to http://content.met.police.uk/Site/roadsafelondon ….. especially anything to do with those so-called buses.