A passenger filmed himself in Melbourne, Australia calling his Uber driver a “Jewish scumbag” and demanding that his ride end early because he didn’t want to “ride with a Jew.”
The Daily Mail Australia reported on Aug. 25 that the video begins with the passenger asking the driver if he’s Jewish after hearing his name. The driver answers in the affirmative.
“Just stop on the left man, just stop here,” the passenger said. “I don’t like Jews. I’m not going to ride with a Jew.”
The driver told the passenger to “enjoy yourself.”
“Jewish scumbag,” the passenger replied. The passenger then called the driver a “f—ing Jewish dog” as he left the vehicle.
“I’d rather walk,” he said at the end of the video. “F—ing dog.”
According to a press release from the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), the driver, who is in 60s, said that he “was quite shaken by this and was concerned that [the passenger] would assault me.” The driver reported the incident to Uber and plans to report the incident to police as well.
ADC chairman Dr. Dvir Abramovich said in a statement, “Harassment, verbal assaults and stomach-churning intimidation against Jews are becoming a feature of our daily life, and I am deeply concerned that such violent words may result in serious injury or death. An explosive outburst such as this one not only traumatises the victim but deeply scars the entire community and leave them scared and vulnerable.
“It may be an uncomfortable truth for many, but the surge in horrific attacks against Jews is on a scale that is frightening in its intensity. This terrifying incident provides further evidence that racists are less inhibited about expressing their poisonous bigotry, and is a grim reminder that antisemitism remains a persistent problem.”
A spokesperson from Uber said in a statement to the Journal, “There is no place for racism or discrimination on the Uber platform. Discriminatory or abusive behaviour is a clear breach of Uber’s Community Guidelines. We would encourage any driver, or rider, who experiences this kind of appalling behaviour to report it to us so we look into the matter and take appropriate action.”
A report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry released in November found that there had been 368 anti-Semitic incidents in Australia in 2019, a 30% increase from 2019.
