Man Ordered to Pay £785 After Nazi Salute Outside Borehamwood Synagogue
By The Israel Desk NewsroomPublished:
A 19-year-old man from Watford has been ordered to pay a total of £785 after giving a Nazi salute outside a synagogue in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire Constabulary announced on October 26. The penalty follows an incident on May 9, when worshippers were leaving the synagogue in Croxdale Road.
The court outcome and its dates
Police identified the man as Kamil Mach and said he appeared at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on October 16. He had been charged with a racially or religiously aggravated Section 5 public order offence. The financial outcome comprised a £500 fine, a £200 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.
The £785 total combines three separate amounts; the fine itself is £500. The chronology is equally important: the incident occurred in May, the court appearance in the middle of October, and police published the outcome on October 26. The announcement concerns the handling of an earlier antisemitic incident, rather than a new attack outside the synagogue this week.
Why the setting was central to the harm
The gesture was made as worshippers left a Jewish place of worship. A Nazi salute invokes a movement responsible for the Holocaust and the systematic persecution and murder of Jews. Outside a synagogue, its meaning reaches beyond an offensive gesture encountered in an unrelated setting.
Hertsmere Chief Inspector Ryan Davenport described the incident as distressing for those who witnessed it and said such crimes affect the wider community. His comments put the focus on the freedom to attend religious services without intimidation, and on the effects extending beyond the individuals immediately present.
Police describe a dedicated response
Davenport said Jewish residents were feeling particularly vulnerable. Hertfordshire, like other police forces serving large Jewish populations, had received government funding to tackle antisemitism, he said. A dedicated team was in place, alongside increased patrols intended to reassure residents.
The force encouraged people to approach officers with concerns. Those measures were described in the same announcement as the court outcome, linking the response to one incident with continuing work around community safety. Police did not publish a new local incident total in that announcement; no numerical trend can be drawn from this case alone.
How witnesses and residents can report concerns
Hertfordshire Police directs reports that are not urgent to its online reporting service, web chat or the 101 telephone number. An immediate emergency should be reported on 999. The independent charity Crimestoppers accepts anonymous information on 0800 555 111.
The force also works with trained independent reporting centres, including community and religious organizations, for people uncomfortable approaching police directly. These can help pass on reports and support anonymity. For residents, the practical message accompanying the court outcome is that both direct and alternative reporting routes are available when antisemitic intimidation affects everyday Jewish life.
