Jewish teenagers chased on bus and spat at in Oxford Street
Group dancing to celebrate Chanukah are harassed by gang of men making Nazi salutes
JEWISH teenagers were harassed by a gang of men who gave Nazi salutes as they chased their bus.
The incident happened in central London on Monday evening, when the group’s vehicle stopped and they got out to dance and sing in the street.
They were celebrating Chanukah, also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, which lasts for eight days and began on Sunday night.
It is understood their bus had stopped outside Primark store in Oxford Street when the gang began “mocking them”.
When the Jewish group ignored them and carried on dancing, they became more aggressive, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
The incident escalated when they returned to their bus, with their aggressors spitting and swearing them while performing Nazi salutes and chasing after them.
Rabbi Shneor Glitsenstein, of the Chabad Israeli Centre in Golders Green, north-west London, was with the group. He said that the gang of men began shouting “Free Palestine” at them, so to avoid trouble he told his group to get back on the bus. At this point, it appears the gang became increasingly aggressive and attacked their vehicle as it waited for a gap in the traffic to pull away.
Video footage of the incident has been shared widely on social media, prompting the Mayor of London and government ministers, as well as Jewish community groups, to condemn such incidents of anti-semitism. Police have also appealed for witnesses to come forward and are investigating.
The shared footage shows the men banging on the windows of the bus, spitting, raising their middle fingers, and performing Nazi salutes.
In the footage, the men take their shoes off and wave them at the windows of the bus. Showing the sole of your shoe is an insult in Arab culture, but the identity of the men in the video remains unknown.
Rabbi Shneor said it was “not something you expect to see in the middle of London. You want to feel free and secure in London.”
The Community Security Trust, a charity that provides security to Britain’s Jewish community, tweeted that “two of the victims of this appalling incident” had reported it. It added: “We will ensure they receive appropriate support and we’ll work with the police
‘A chilling and shocking scene on London’s streets’
to try to ensure the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice.”
Referring to the footage, Nadine Dorries, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said it was a “chilling and shocking scene on London’s streets”.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, added: “Anti-semitism has no place whatsoever in society and I utterly condemn these disgusting acts. No one should have to experience this. If you have any information about this incident, I urge you to report it.”
Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said she was “appalled” by the footage. We note that besides attempts to spit at them, at least one of the perpetrators appears to be performing a Nazi salute. We hope the police will swiftly identify and arrest those involved.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the incident was being investigated as a hate crime and added: “We believe the video was filmed on Oxford Street, W1, at around 8pm on Monday 29 November. The occupants of the bus were Jewish and the abuse directed at them was allegedly antisemitic. Police were called (but) the group shown in the video could not be located at the time … and there have been no arrests.”