British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the November 28 attack of a Chabad bus celebrating Hanukkah in a tweet.
Footage of the attack showed six men spitting at the bus, making obscene gestures and banging on the windows of the bus. Johnson tweeted that the footage was “disturbing.” “Racism of any kind will never be tolerated in our society and we will continue to do all we can to root it out.”
This is disturbing footage. Racism of any kind will never be tolerated in our society and we will continue to do all we can to root it out. https://t.co/fnC1BoAxUE
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 2, 2021
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt thanked Johnson in a tweet. “Thank you @BorisJohnson for speaking out against this terrible intimidation and harassment of Jewish teenagers in London. We hope the police are able to identify these antisemites and hold them accountable.”
Thank you @BorisJohnson for speaking out against this terrible intimidation and harassment of Jewish teenagers in London. We hope the police are able to identify these antisemites and hold them accountable. https://t.co/YHh6aeGD6Z
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) December 2, 2021
Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer also denounced the attack, calling it “disgusting.” “Racism will never be tolerated,” he tweeted. “We must do all we can to root it out and hold those responsible to account.”
Disgusting.
Racism will never be tolerated. We must do all we can to root it out and hold those responsible to account. https://t.co/rurRFBthxl
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 2, 2021
On December 2, the Jewish News released unseen footage of the attack showing the Chabad bus stopping on a street, where the partygoers began singing and dancing in the street while handing out doughnuts. The six men then approached them and can be seen shouting “F— Israel” and “F— you” at those on the bus.
🚨VIDEO EXCLUSIVE 🚨📽️:
Sickening unseen footage of the Chanukah bus attack
The brave passenger who filmed the attack on a bus carrying Jewish teenagers celebrating Chanukah has shared her shock and anger and the terrified reaction of those on boardhttps://t.co/E6lM1qzEzN pic.twitter.com/0SrWDhb8VV
— Jewish News (@JewishNewsUK) December 2, 2021
The person who filmed the attack, identified as Joanne Order, told the Jewish News that the six men seemed to be “Arabic-looking” and that the incident escalated once the passengers celebrating on the street were told to get back on the bus. “A metal shopping basket was thrown from the street up into the top deck, which luckily didn’t hit anyone. One of the men banged aggressively on the side of the bus and removed one of the sliding ventilator windows which was ajar. Another stared directly at me, removed his shoe and waved it, which is one of the most insulting things you can do in Middle Eastern culture. One of the men even ran after the bus as it moved on, chasing us down the road.”
The police are investigating the matter as a hate crime and have released photos of three of the men seen on the video. “This was a deeply upsetting incident for a community group who were celebrating the Jewish festival, Hanukkah,” Detective Inspector Kevin Eade told The Evening Standard. “There is no place in our city for hate crime. Everyone should be able to enjoy their lives without harassment and I urge anyone who can name the individuals pictured to contact police without delay.”
