COMEDIAN Matt Lucas has been filmed and pestered in a London tube station by a pro-Palestine protester.
Lucas, who is Jewish, was followed and filmed by Thomas Abdullah Bourne, who posted the clip to social media under the username ‘White British Muslim’.
Comic actor Matt Lucas, 51, was followed and filmed in a tube stationCredit: X/ Thomas Abdullah Bourne
Pro-Palestine protester Thomas Abdullah Bourne posted the video on social media
Lucas has been praised for his calm and patient responses
At the start of the video the London-born comic is seen on a neighbouring escalator to Abdullah Bourne.
He tries to cover his face as the protester calls across to him: “Free Palestine. Free Palestine, .”
Stepping off the escalator, Abdullah Bourne steps in front on Lucas, who calmly says: “Hi, how are you?”
Abdullah Bourne asks: “You don’t like what I’m wearing, do you?”
Lucas, 51, responds: “No, I have no comment about it either way.”
The video does not show what the protester was wearing when the video was filmed.
He has previously posted pictures of himself wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional patterned scarf which has come to represent solidarity with Palestine.
But Abdullah Bourne continues: “You’ve got a problem with Palestinians mate?”
Lucas gives the one-word response: “No.”
After Lucas appears to push the camera away as he approaches a second set of escalators, Abdullah Bourne says: “Don’t do that. Don’t touch my stuff.”
As Lucas walks away, the activist says: “Zionist.”
The Little Britain star is wearing a red jumper, black coat and white baseball cap in the clip,
He remains calm throughout the clip, despite the continued pestering and uncomfortable filming.
Lucas is known for his comedy acting and formerly presenting .
He was raised in a Reform Jewish household and some of his mother’s family fled Nazi Germany before the outbreak of World War Two.
His maternal grandmother Margot left Berlin for England in 1939 as the persecution of Jews in Germany intensified under Hitler’s regime.
In a 2022 episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Lucas discovered many of his grandmother’s cousins died in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Despite his religious background, he reportedly considers himself an atheist and has previously called himself a “fairly secular Jew”.
He was one of the signatories of the 2023 open letter ‘No Hostages Left Behind’ to then- US President .
Released weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack, the letter read: “We urge everyone to not rest until all hostages are released. No hostage can be left behind.”
It thanked Biden for his “unshakable [sic] moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people”.
“We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace.
“Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages,” it read.
His name appeared on the letter alongside hundreds of Hollywood celebrities including , and .
Abdullah Bourne’s video has now been deleted after widespread backlash against his uncomfortable accosting of Lucas.
It appears his Instagram
One X user questioned: “He seems so gentle why are they bothering him?”
Many praised the comedic actor’s simple responses and calm demeanour throughout the interaction.
“That was actually an incredibly patient and gracious reaction to being filmed in public by a f***ing weirdo,” another wrote.
Someone else added: “This is just so wrong. He’s just a man going about his day.”
The Sun has contacted Mr Lucas’s representatives for comment.
Lucas grew up in a Jewish family but describes himself as “fairly secular”Credit: Andrew Sims – The Times
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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