Far right ‘spread virus’ call
There was anger at the Asisa Urgent Care Clinic in Borough Park this week
ers there were. It felt like being in a city under martial law.
As the weekend progressed, there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street. Many of the voices I heard had British accents — or were speaking in French or Spanish — as it seemed Americans were taking the initiative and already staying indoors. Left to my own devices for a few hours on Sunday afternoon, I went to a restaurant, ordered a cocktail and sat at the bar, keen to chat. But as soon as the waitress heard my English accent, she backed away and refused to serve me.
I was becoming increasingly anxious there would be no flight home, but Norwegian sent me reassuring texts all weekend. So, after a farewell bagel and lox at Russ and Daughters, my boyfriend and I left for the airport, passing the gathered frummers.
Outside the initial outbreak in Seattle nursing homes, New York City is
the hardest hit area of America, with around 18,000 positive coronavirus tests and at least 70 deaths. Reports about how many Charedim have tested positive vary from 250 to over 500, mostly in the Strictly Orthodox Brooklyn neighbourhoods.
But one thing is for sure: a backlash has started against the community, particularly the communal Asisia Urgent Care Clinic in Borough Park, which is being accused of spreading infection. There is also criticism for the failure of many Charedim to follow the mainstream and internet news for fear of immoral images, and for continuing to dance arm-in-arm.
“The Torah protects us and saves us. We’re not scared,” said one unidentified young man this week. But, to save as many as possible, this ancient religious community really needs to move into the modern world for a bit. And soon.
WHITE SUPREMACIST groups in the United States are encouraging supporters who contract coronavirus to spread it to Jews and police officers, an FBI intelligence report has claimed.
An alert from the FBI’s New York office that was circulated last week warned “members of extremist groups are encouraging one another to spread the virus, if contracted, through bodily fluids and personal interactions.”
Neo-Nazi sympathisers were directed to go to “any place [Jews] may be congregated, to include markets, political offices, businesses and places of worship.”
ABC News, which obtained the FBI’s report, said local police were warned that extremists want their followers to try to use spray bottles to spread bodily fluids upon officers on the street.
Other white supremacists used the internet to blame Jews and Jewish leaders for both the coronavirus itself and the global response, including shutdown all but essential government functions.
Michael Masters, head of Secure Communities Network, an umbrella group that coordinates security for Jewish organisations and synagogues around the country, said: “From pushing the idea that Jews created the coronavirus virus to sell vaccines to encouraging infected followers to try to spread the illness to the Jewish community and law enforcement, as the coronavirus has spread, we have observed how white supremacists, neo-Nazis and others have used this to drive their own conspiracy theories, spread disinformation and incite violence on their online platforms.”
America’s far right has been active since the virus outbreak ( file photo)