The Japanese car giant Toyota has disciplined an employee who allegedly abused a Jewish BBC journalist on social media.

Piotr Klarowski is accused of describing Raffi Berg, the BBC’s online Middle East editor, as a “vile Zionist Jew” and a “little rat”.

Responding to a BBC story about Palestinians in Gaza protesting against Hamas, he is alleged to have written on March 27: “The little rat and Israel fanboy Raffi Berg, the Middle East editor at BBC, was definitely happy to publish this one.”

On April 10, in response to a BBC article on the violent treatment of some Palestinians in Israeli prisons, Mr Klarowski’s X account said: “Is Raffi Berg, the vile Zionist Jew, supporter of Israel’s genocide and war crimes and the Middle East editor at BBC on his annual leave?”

And on May 31, the same X account posted a tweet asking if Berg, “the filthy Zionist Jew”, was “finally sacked”.