Evening Standard

Hamas attack survivor grilled by border cop: I don’t feel safe in the UK

- Jitendra Joshi Deputy Political Editor

TWO Israeli brothers who survived the Nova music festival massacre by Hamas were returning home early from Britain today after they were aggressive­ly questioned on arrival at Manchester Airport.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said he was investigat­ing a Border Force officer’s treatment of Daniel Sharabi, 23, and Neria Sharabi, 22, which was partially captured on video.

Neria Sharabi, who says they both suffer PTSD as a result of the murderous Hamas attacks on October 7, demanded an apology from the UK Government and the dismissal of the Border Force officer after they were grilled for two hours before they were allowed into the country on Sunday.

“We’ve been through the most horrible thing in the world and we just wanted to share our story,” he told the Standard, after the brothers helped to fight off gunmen and rescue festival-goers. “But I don’t feel safe to walk about in England if this is how the cops treat

us. I never want to come back to England,” he added, explaining they were meant to be staying for a week but had decided to cut short their trip.

The brothers had flown to Manchester to share their experience with Jewish groups and raise awareness for an organisati­on they set up to help survivors of the terror attacks, which have resulted in months of war by Israel in Gaza. Israel insisted that it would fight on against Hamas despite looking increasing­ly isolated after the United

States allowed a ceasefire resolution to pass at the UN Security Council for the first time yesterday.

The social media clip from Manchester shows a white male Border Force officer speaking forcefully to the brothers on their arrival from Brussels. He tells them to “keep quiet, look at me…” and states: “We are the bosses, not you.”

Neria Sharabi said: “When he learned we are Israeli, we are Jewish, the officer just changed his face and it became antisemiti­sm. He took us away from other people and started to interrogat­e us. He was saying ‘Did you serve in the army, how long?’. He said ‘We want to make sure you’re not going to do here what you are doing in Gaza’.”

The survivor added: “I want to see him not working anymore and I want an apology to us and to all the Jewish people from the Government, from the border police.”

The Home Secretary tweeted: “We are investigat­ing this. This incident will be handled in line with our disciplina­ry procedures.”

 ?? ?? Anger: the incident was caught on video
Anger: the incident was caught on video

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom