‘I Hate People Like You’: 14-Year-Old Jewish Boy Slapped on London Bus Amid Wave of Antisemitic Incidents
A 14-year-old Jewish boy traveling to Shacharis at his Orthodox Jewish school in London was slapped in the face by a man who allegedly told him, “I hate you and I hate people like you,” in the latest of several antisemitic incidents involving students near the school.
The attack occurred Thursday morning as the boy and two friends were riding a bus to Hasmonean High School in Hendon. The three boys were visibly Jewish, wearing yarmulkes and their school uniforms.
According to an account provided by the boy’s mother, a man believed to be in his 40s approached the three students, directed abusive language toward them and suddenly slapped one of the boys across the face.
When the stunned 14-year-old asked why he had struck him, the man responded, “I hate you and I hate people like you.”
The boy immediately went downstairs on the double-decker bus and informed the driver of what had happened. The driver stopped the bus and contacted police.
Several passengers who had witnessed the incident came forward on their own, telling the driver that they had seen the assault and providing their telephone numbers so they could give statements to investigators.
The boy also called his mother and received assistance from a member of the school administration who happened to be nearby.
London police are investigating the assault as a hate crime, but the suspect had not been arrested as of the latest report.
The incident has caused particular concern because it follows another attack involving students leaving the same Jewish school just last week. Police are investigating both incidents and have said that antisemitic behavior will not be tolerated and that authorities remain committed to confronting hate crimes.
The boy’s mother filed a police complaint and told B’Chadrei Chareidim that officers had handled the matter sensitively. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by her son’s school.
“We were in shock, because nothing like this has ever happened to us,” the mother said. “I am someone who never hides my Judaism. I always say that everything will be okay, and this is the first time something like this has happened to us. They still haven’t arrested the person, so I don’t yet know exactly who he is, and therefore I don’t want to put any labels on him.”
Shomrim appealed to members of the public who may have witnessed the assault to provide information that could help investigators identify the attacker.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the police. The suspect is described as a man believed to be in his 40s. Police are currently reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing the victims and witnesses in order to identify the suspect,” Shomrim said.
The attack comes amid heightened concern within Britain’s Jewish community over antisemitism and communal security, concerns that have intensified following the British government’s decision to impose new measures targeting Israeli communities in Yehudah and Shomron.
Earlier this week, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband rejected a warning from Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, that the government’s decision could further increase the dangers facing British Jews.
Miliband, describing himself as a “proud British Jew,” said he disagreed with Rabbi Mirvis, who had characterized the government’s move as a “particularly dark day.”
Rabbi Mirvis strongly condemned the British decision, warning that measures directed against Israel can have consequences for Jewish communities far beyond the political arena.
“Gesture politics of this kind feeds an increasingly hostile discourse about Israel, and the cumulative impact of such punitive policies is to further embolden those, at home and abroad, who weaponise hatred against Jews,” Rabbi Mirvis said.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews also expressed alarm over the timing of the announcement immediately before Rosh Hashanah, saying it had landed at a particularly sensitive moment for British Jewry.
The organization said the decision comes as “concerns for the security of the community are at the highest levels and are being felt with particular intensity among British Jews.”
{Matzav.com}
