Is "openly Jewish" a hate crime under the April Fools Scottish hate crime law?

I was stopped by a police officer in the area around SOAS one Saturday (attending a course) as there was a demonstration planned - he didn't threaten to arrest me, but informed me politely that a demonstration was going to begin soon and if I could, he'd suggest that I left because it would be very busy and he didn't like the idea of me being caught up in it. His internal narrative may well have been 'pain in the arse woman's going to get herself caught up in this, wish she'd just fuck off before it kicks off and we start kettling them', or any other such criticism, but the way he worded it was completely different from the outset. I could have been attending the demonstrations, but he took the position that that I wasn't.

That's the difference. One is for safety and carries respectful language, one is seeing the person as provocateur.

@MarieDeGournay , @deragod

This is very disturbing.

I'm not Jewish, but I live in an area of the country which has a large Jewish population and everyone I know is shocked at the degree of anti-semitism that seems to be breaking our around the country.

In case anyone is questioning how safe it is to be Jewish today: I started a thread about being Israeli and within a short time, MN has hidden it for review. I’ve not seen some of the responses - but I can guess. I don’t think those kind of inflammatory questions and justifications for terror would be tolerated by any other minority. We live in sad and worrying times.

I think it took real courage to appear at that march to draw attention to the fact that Jewish people are not safe. ( Have they ever felt truly safe? Sadly not.)

It's not only in London. Manchester Jews have been subjected to constant and horrific abuse, including fireworks thrown at young girls.

https://www.thejc.com/news/teenager-in-hospital-after-antisemitic-attack-in-manchester-habdr36oA Jewish teenager is being treated in hospital after he was attacked by three men in Manchester in what is believed to be an antisemitic hate crime.
The 17-year-old boy, who has not been named, was one of four people who were assaulted by three men on Saturday night. The other victims were aged 20, 18 and 18.
The victims were set upon at Bowker Vale Metrolink station, close to Heaton Park, in the heart of north Manchester's Jewish community.

https://www.thejc.com/news/teenagers-arrested-after-gun-attack-near-manchester-yeshiva-mln5s6zg
Two 17 year old boys from Broughton, Manchester, have been arrested on suspicion of possessing and discharging a firearm after an incident in the early hours of this morning when a gun was fired near the Yeshiva in Upper Park Road, Broughton.
The incident is not being treated as a hate crime or antisemitic.

(No idea why shooting a gun in the vicinity of Jews in and around the Yeshiva is not seen as a hate crime.)

I have French Jewish family (not Orthodox/religious) but they have been concerned about antisemitism there, especially Paris, for at least a decade now, probably more. Like PP says, there's always a massive spike on the back of violent antisemitic incidents. There's been a huge exodus of French Jews to Israel in that time specifically because of it. I always felt it wouldn't get as bad here, but I'm not sure now. So yes, in theory obvious Orthodox Jews can walk freely in Paris, but the reality is, they are absolutely not safe.

@deragod Yes I remember that, was awful.

There have been plenty of incidents in France, the shooting/hostage situation in a kosher supermarket in Paris around the time of the Bataclan springs to mind.

They might be more cautious of optics because they were occupied by the Nazis and plenty of collaboration went on. "You can't be here because you're Jewish and I can arrest you" is something the police might have said there during the war.

Antisemitism in France is substantial and always was.
However, I do not know how many of you remember this https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/20/all-charges-over-convoy-who-shouted-rape-jewish-daughters-are-dropped-17793247/

So, even at your home you should not be openly Jewish as Met and CPS won't protect you.

There's been a huge increase in antisemitic attacks in France recently, quadrupling in the space of a year. These include attacks on the street as well as in other locations.
Les actes antisémites ont presque été multipliés par quatre en un an, selon le CRIF (lemonde.fr)
This article point out that when there's a horrific attack on Jews, such as the killing of children and a teacher in a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012, or the October 7th massacres, the incidences of antisemitic crime actually spike.

IWantToRetire Jewish people can walk freely in Paris, even obvious Orthodox Jews.

That doesn't matter.

The incident demonstrates the attitude being taken and the ineffectuality of the police to maintain the law as it stands.

I feel that the officer was in an unenviable position - he knew that if anything kicked off (and these crowds are both extremely volatile and have been emboldened because they have never been subject to any form of control) then there was no way that he or other officers could have protected Mr Falter.

It was handled badly and clumsily, but Mr falter is right. he should be able to walk down the street without being under threat of physical harm - even if he's being deliberately provocative - that shouldn't matter. He should be safe.

However demonstrators such as these haven't been properly policed since they began. The violence and the threats shouldn't have been countenanced from the very start. If there aren't enough met officers bring in the riot squad/ water cannon etc and let them sort it out. Much more peaceful demonstrations than these used to be broken up at one time. It should never have got to this stage. The anti-semitism we are seeing is horrific.

I do think the police officer was in an awful position. He tried to handle it, but whichever way he chose it wouldn't have ended well.

Mr Falter has the right to walk through the streets unaccosted - it's as simple as that.

Edited to agree with @lechiffre55

The police should have escorted the jewish man wherever he wanted to go, and arrested anyone who threatened or attempoted violence.

Easily done, no worries! I should have used italics as well. I'm sorry for offending posters with sarcasm that wasn't clear enough.

For PPs or lurkers who want reassurance that these are not my opinions, I made a few earlier contributions on the thread that you can check out.
💕

(Can't delete that heart emoji for some reason)

Absolutely spot on. If any more proof were needed that, in the words of David Baddiel, Jews Don't Count, this is it.

O.K! I can see that now!

I don’t care if you’re anti Zionist or anti Jew. You (non Jews) have absolutely no right to explain or justify your hatred to a Jew. Don’t try to explain antisemitism or anti Zionism. Don’t tell us that the only Jew you tolerate is one who doesn’t believe that one country in the world should be a safe majority state for a people who are a minority in every other country in the world and have been ethnically cleansed from both Europe and Arab countries. If a Jew, or a POC or a Muslim or a whatever thinks you are being racist, then you are. Don’t try to explain to them why they are mistaken.

The thing is, I'm not sure that is even true - even if most of those rabidly hating Israel are unaware of the origins of that hatred.

The use of 'good' anti zionist jews was a slip of the tongue revealing the fact that only jews who oppose Israel are considered acceptable.

In Left wing circles Jewish people usually have to declare their 'anti zionist' credentials if they are to be considered acceptable. It goes back to Stalin and his suspicion of supposed Jewish duplicity. The Jews could never be forgiven for prioritisng their Jewish identity over their identity as 'International Socialists'. The. 'good' Jews stayed loyal to the socialist vision and not the zionist one.

Ah, so sorry @songaboutjam I missed your quotations so completely misconstrued what you were saying! Apologies!

As in loads of people do say that stuff, but it's shown up as being nonsense when someone is apparently in danger for being visibly Jewish. As opposed to visibly Zionist, whatever that would look like.

That was my take.

I think the quotations marks indicate it wasn't the PP's own opinions. I think they were deliberately highlighting the weakness of certain attempts to pretend that 'anti Zionism' is distinct from antisemitism.

I suspect not! Being anti Israel is the just the most popular bandwagon at present.

I wonder if @songaboutjam realises just how fucking dangerous (and massively ignorant) her/his rhetoric is.

@LadyGooGaa It's terrible isn't it. Feel quite bad for saying this but I'm glad my DH isn't Jewish and kids not brought up to be Jewish. I'd hate for them to suffer with this.

The only 'good' jews are anti zionists ?