To think this attack on London Jewish schoolchildren should have been headline news

[ThisPerkySheep]

I have been waiting for this story to go mainstream, and I’m shocked that it hasn’t.

So far, it seems only the Daily Mail has reported on it - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14142235/amp/Jewish-children-terrified-thugs-London-bus-rocks-Israel.html.

When are we going to start taking the threats against Jews in the UK seriously and actually do something about it?

I'm aware. I also stated that I'm a Jewish activist, so clearly not anti-semitic. I don't need to justify that on mumsnet of all places. My original comment was 2 lines that have been wildly misinterpreted and now I, a Jew, am being called antisemitic. I don't think that was the purpose of this thread!

‘potential’ is the key world there. That’s why it’s not a global news headline.
unfortunately headlines tend to follow both the extreme and,
if they’re doing their job correctly, the truth.

If this was a hate crime and it’s proven and they find those kids and there are consequences then THATs when it becomes a bigger news story than rival school kids.
I don’t believe in conspiracies, BTW, any more than I believe in any version of god regardless of what side he’s on.

If OPs original question is WHY is t this a headline the answer is because there’s not really a story -yet- unless you believe in an antisemitic pack by all major news organisations???

Two points:

A free Palestine (whether two state, or one single state for all the Arabs and Jews currently living in the Holy Land) may well reduce anti-Semitism from some quarters, but it surely won't eradicate it forever. Anti-Semitism has existed for centuries.)

Secondly: the fact that Palestinians undoubtedly suffer oppression is in itself no excuse for anti-Semitism.

I didn't call you that...please re read the thread and quote where i supposedly said that

I didn't say it was an excuse. I literally wrote two lines, and I didn't write anything to indicate I think it's an excuse to abuse Jews.

You used an emoji which is used by people who want Israel removed from the face of the earth. (BTW people I know in RL who say this also make comments like ' those people (the civilians tortured/ raped and murdered on October 7th) deserved everything they got on October 7th)

You link anti-Semitism in the UK entirely to the Palestine and Israeli conflict, saying if it weren't for that there would be no anti-Semitism. That may not be what you meant in your head, but its what you communicated.

I am glad to hear you may not have meant what you said, but people can only form their view on what you actually said. Plenty of other posters have understood your post the way I did. There really was not the ambiguity in it that you seem to think there was.

I realise you didn't say it was an excuse, however I think your statement that Palestine being free might stop anti-Semitism (which it almost certainly wouldn't stop entirely) could reasonably be interpreted as suggesting that the oppression of Palestinians is a justifiable excuse for anti-Semitism. You didn't explicitly say that and I'm sure you don't even think that, but what you wrote could be interpreted that way.

@Comedycook Ah, my apologies. You were the one person not calling me anti-semitic- there's been a lot, it's hard to keep up. Your comment was instead so lovely! I'm so glad to be a Jewish activist, spending my time and money trying to make my community safer, only to be told I don't know anything about the history of my people because I'm embarassing and wrote 2 lines you didn't like. I'm so embarassed I'll just stop trying to change the world, because someone on mumsnet doesn't like it. Because the 2 lines I wrote in about 15 seconds on mumsnet are such an important contribution to the world, and I messed it up by not justifying my heritage enough. I'm blushing as we speak, and going to hide from society forever so I don't embarass myself more.

Is that how you change the world for the better? Calling someone embarassing and insulting their understanding of their own race because you can't understand that 2 lines don't sum up an entire person's belief system?

We should start by expelling from the UK for life everyone who engaged in this crime against the Jewish children as an example that we do not tolerate this.

@DazedAndConfused321 But I don’t understand why you think antisemitism would stop if "Palestine was free", since you must know that it existed here long before Palestine was an issue.

I too am Jewish, but judging by your emoji and your comments about Palestine and "genocidal Israelis" it seems that we hold very different opinions.

You got all of that from 2 lines of text on mumsnet. Maybe those who misunderstood what I said should have taken a step back and realised it's two lines of text on mumsnet. Not an essay describing my entire belief system.

I would also point out again that it's equally wrong for people to hold hatred and prejudice against Israeli people (meaning the regular civilians) as a whole. Many Israeli civilians themselves are decent people and are not causing harm to anyone. I realise that a fair number of settlers are, as well as the Israeli leadership and military. However, I think people should try to bear in mind that hatred of innocent Israeli civilians is just as awful as hatred of non-Israeli Jews.

Wait, are you suggesting that British children be ‘expelled’from the country for alleged name calling???

Out of interest WHERE would you expel them to?

I said 'maybe' not, "Anti-semitism will be eradicated in the blink of an eye as soon as Palestine is free and their land is returned to them."

We can have different opinions, that's the point of forums and threads like this- to discuss and debate. Not to call Jews anti-semitic racists because they dared to share a fleeting thought about a situation they're negatively impacted by.

What you are you insinuating is not subtle.

Do you really think the children abusing the other children really care and understand about the complex history and political situation in the Middle East? I’d laugh if it wasn’t serious!

Antisemitism existed before Israel and would continue even if Israel ceased to exist. People are who can stop antisemitism and all kinds of racism.

Expel them to where?

I'm aware, it's awful that any race, creed, religion, or community should be 'tarred with the same brush'. It's abhorrent and despite being pro-palestine, I'm not anti-israeli.

I do not think you’re being antisemitism but exceptionally naive and offensive to boot. Antisemitism predates Israel being established as a state.

The most brutal, violent forms of anti-semitism existed prior to the modern day state of Israel (crusades, Spanish Inquisition, pogroms, the Holocaust etc.). The fact that you’re seemingly unaware of this makes me question your claim that you’re Jewish to be honest.

Its not the length, but more the meaning you conveyed. Lots of people understood your post in the same way.

I'm not sure if you said things you did not mean or if you did mean them but think they are not anti-Semitic, but either way the words you used had a very clear and commonly understood meaning, and you can either rile against the many people who all understood it in the same way, or accept that is what you actually said, whether you meant it or not.

Just to be clear on where you stand on the issue - what is your personal vision of a free Palestine?

For the record, I would be perfectly happy with the entire region being a single Palestinian state - PROVIDED that all the Israeli Jews are allowed to remain living there and become Palestinian citizens.

Do you share that vision for a free Palestine? A one-state solution in which the Israelis, if they choose, can stay and become Palestinians?

I ask, because I do know there are some people who think that most or all Israeli civilians should be forced to leave in a hypothetical single-Palestinian state solution, and I cannot support that at all. Many, if not most Israeli civilians are native-born to the region now, so regardless of what the land is called and who it belongs to, it is still legitimately their home - forcibly expelling them would be ethnic cleansing.

@neverthmore you should read up where the watermelon symbol originated from, it was used as a symbol of defiance after Israel banned Palestinians from displaying the Palestinian flag in a bid to erase all Palestinian identity.

I was short on time and thought I would try Chat GPT to see what it came up with. It articulated my thoughts, as a Black woman, well in respect of the comment and the doubling down on said offending comment referencing racism. The words 'might' and 'could' are just fine, they don't diminish the value of anything.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Let's face it, kids bullying other kids is not going to make the headlines as it is very commonplace. It's being quite well publicised though given the amount of links people have managed to find.

The subject of bullying is wide and varied, from homophobia to body shaming, to skin colour, disability. Young teens are pretty horrific. It's not news.

Thank you for clarifying that you do not hold Israeli civilians all collectively responsible, either. I do think it's an important point to make, as I've come across some people who agree that it's wrong to deride non-Israeli Jews, but hold prejudice against Israeli civilians in general. I've always had a strong sense of distinguishing between a country's leadership and its general population, and not just with the Middle East. Most Germans during WWII were decent people, and they no more deserved the suffering they experienced than civilians in Allied countries.