Equality Court finds Thomas Torr guilty of hate speech over antisemitic videos

The Equality Court has found Thomas Torr guilty of hate speech for a series of antisemitic videos he shared on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube between 2023 and 2024.

The aspiring comedian's online content included graphic and disturbing claims that Jewish people are cannibals, rapists, and subhuman - statements so extreme that he has been banned from TikTok. 

In his ruling on Friday, Judge André Le Grange said Torr’s posts went beyond offensive, inciting hatred and harm, violating South Africa’s equality laws. 

Le Grange called the videos “blatant antisemitism” and expressed concern over Torr’s lack of remorse throughout the proceedings.

As part of the court’s order, Torr must write a formal apology to the South African Jewish community and pay R50,000 to the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre within 30 days.

This is the first of several cases brought by the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape SAJBD), which welcomed the ruling as a major step in confronting hate and protecting constitutional rights.

In a statement, the Cape SAJBD said "it remains steadfast in its commitment to protect the civil rights of the Jewish community and to confront antisemitism, racism and prejudice in all its forms."