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?

Jewish schools and synagogues have a lot of security. Yes schools in general are quite cautious of who is coming in and out for obvious reasons but security around Jewish buildings is extremely high. It's not the same.

Good lord. 🙄

You radically minimised the level of threat to the children on board that bus. Don't bother replying to me you are clearly wedded to your own bias.

Agree on the liberals, many of them are frequently part of the problem rather than the solution.

Lets just agree to disagree on the way you articulated the racism from the left affecting Jewish people in a way that others races aren't. its so much more complex than that statement and detracts from this horrific incident and the some of the responses on this thread.

So interesting and your observations match mine on so many aspects of this.

For example, our local Catholic Primary has parents falling over themselves trying to get a place. Some parents even take up Catholicism when their children are born to ensure a place at this school. They too have a very low percentage of children on free school meals.
I've sometimes wondered if the drive for parents to get their children a good education also drives their adherence to a certain faith - or vice versa!

For whatever the reason, schools that select by faith as the over riding factor - do seem to do better in the league tables.

The Jewish schools I know of all have huge gates and permanent security guards outside. Many also have armed guards and big dogs when there are specific threats against the school. The Jewish school I went to in Manchester installed glass that was bullet proof and we regularly had to perform active shooter drills. Sadly Jewish schools and synagogues are like fortresses. And that’s because they have to be because of genuine threat. Not just for the fun of it.

In the interests of my sanity I'm trying to give posters the benefit of the doubt by imagining that they come onto all threads to randomly talk about Gaza unprompted.

"My cat is being sick."
"There's children dying in Gaza."

"Did anyone see Corrie last night?"
"Children in Gaza don't watch Corrie."

"AIBU to park on my neighbours drive?"
"Children in Gaza don't have parking diagrams."

It's preferable to accepting that a person can read about Jewish children in the UK being attacked and talk about Israel and children in Gaza.

Had these children been any other type of minority children I can't imagine it would have been brought it up, proving once again that it's not just the Israeli government a lot of people have a problem with but Jewish people in general.

What a terrifying world to live in.

I think you misunderstood me...that wasn't my intention.

I was basically trying to explain that anti semetism often comes from a different demographic than other forms of racism.

Obviously it goes without saying that all of it is abhorrent

perhaps you’re right, perhaps we should be shouting about the slaughter of thousands and thousands of children from the roof tops at every opportunity.

A member of my family used to teach at a Jewish school. Some of the children there had bodyguards at drop off & pick up, so intense was the threat.

What we're seeing is the tip of a big iceberg of both deliberate & casual anti-Semitism in this country.

On absolutely every topic?

What about children who are dying in other areas of the world?

I'm glad you started this thread, OP. Thank you.

The first response just proves the point that Jews really don't count to a lot of people.

My visibly Jewish husband and our toddler daughter were verbally heckled off a bus late last year, and we've both been carrying a legal version of pepper spray around with us ever since, while avoiding public transport and our town centre.

My husband happens to be Israeli, which probably means to some people that he deserved it.

The irony is, the rising antisemitism in the UK is encouraging us to move to Israel.

Ok, double down it is then!
I'll let Chat GPT elaborate.
Question asked:
Explain why the sentence .Antisemitism comes from a different demographic to other forms of racism' would be offensive to a Black person.
ChatGPT said:
The sentence "antisemitism comes from a different demographic to other forms of racism" could be perceived as offensive to Black people because it may inadvertently minimize or mischaracterize the broad spectrum of racism they face. Here's why this might be the case:
1. Implying a Hierarchy of Racism

• The sentence could be interpreted as suggesting that antisemitism is unique or more significant than the racism faced by other groups, including Black people.
• This might come across as dismissive of the deeply entrenched and systemic nature of anti-Black racism, which spans centuries and permeates many aspects of life globally.

2. Overgeneralizing Racism

• By stating that antisemitism "comes from a different demographic," the sentence might oversimplify or generalize both antisemitism and other forms of racism.
• It risks overlooking that racism, in all its forms, is complex and can originate from various demographics and ideologies.

3. Ignoring Intersectionality

• Black Jews, for instance, experience both antisemitism and anti-Black racism. Statements that differentiate too starkly between the demographics of these prejudices might fail to acknowledge the lived experiences of people at the intersection of multiple forms of discrimination.
• Such a perspective could unintentionally erase or exclude their voices from the discussion.

4. Perceived Comparison of Suffering

• Discussions about the origins of different forms of prejudice can sometimes be misinterpreted as a comparison of their severity or impact. This might lead to the perception that the sentence is downplaying the gravity of anti-Black racism or portraying it as more "typical" or "less complex."

5. Exclusion of Black Voices

• The sentence might appear to prioritize antisemitism as unique without giving due attention to the specific historical and demographic complexities of anti-Black racism.
• This could reinforce a feeling that the struggles of Black people are being sidelined or misunderstood.

How to Navigate This Sensitivity To avoid offense and foster a more inclusive conversation, it might be better to frame the idea in a way that acknowledges the unique histories and complexities of both antisemitism and anti-Black racism without creating unnecessary divisions. For example, one could say: "Antisemitism and other forms of racism often arise from distinct historical and ideological contexts, reflecting the unique challenges faced by different communities. It's important to recognize these differences while acknowledging the shared fight against all forms of prejudice and discrimination." This phrasing emphasizes shared solidarity while respecting the unique struggles of each group.

Now back to the matter of the children on that school bus and antisemitism...

It's quite a stretch to extrapolate all that from my comment that a lot of anti semetism comes from the left

Many faiths have faith schools. Not just RC, CofE and Jewish schools, but Muslim, Quaker, Seventh Day Adventists, Sikh, Greek Orthodox, Hindu and Methodist. There may be others too.

You are clearly wedded to your own bias.

Basically yes. That poster has anti-Semitic views. She thinks racism against Jews (including children) needs to be 'contextualised' with (irrelevant) reference to Palestinian children, rather than just condemned. And she thinks anti-Semites are somehow legitimised because its understandable that people should hold all Jews children accountable for what the Israeli Government is doing.

This is a blatantly racist and anti-Semitic view and its astonishing that people cannot see it.

This sort of thing should be in the news.

The irony of you talking about the complexities of antisemitism and then making that comment to Black woman on the subject of racism.

The unexpected shit can come at you from the Left is mind-blowing... I see what you mean.

Oh don't talk bollocks yourself.

That poster made the very pertinent post that Jewish people get racism from the left and the right. I can't think of any other racial or ethnic group that gets that. Jews are also 0.5% of the population yet 33% of the victims of religiously motivated hate.

Tell me, which other racial and ethnic groups do you attack when they talk about the facts of the specifics of the racism they face?

People are accepting of this now, especially on here, it's very scary how people will quickly other and dehumanise people.

Oh ok, then how about just on topic that encompass the ME conflict then? Including when posters say it’s not children’s fault that Israel seem intent on wiping out an entire people?
Which it absolutely isn’t of course, not those kids on the bus in London, not kids anywhere.
It’s not headline news because a bunch of kids abusing a bunch of kids from another school isn’t in the grander scheme of things, disgraceful though it is.
Not if it was racial, not if it was sectarian, at least not while Trump is about to be in power again, Putin is threatening to use nuclear weapons. South Korea is/was under martial law, the Palestinians are being slaughtered,
Hamas aren’t defeated and the whole
ME is a danger if starting WW3.
So shitty that it is that school kids got abused, It’s a local news story, not headline news.

I have name changed for obvious reasons. I went to JFS. I initially started in Camden and part way through, we moved to the new site in Kenton. I went on the school bus. There was a period of time where the situation in Israel was unstable. On one journey home, a group of kids were waiting at my bus stop. They didn’t get on the bus but the threw stones at it and called us a Jewish slur.

I am nearly 40 now and it stays with you. I hope those poor children are feeling as ok as can be. I chose not to send my children to a Jewish school and I am glad with my choice. I don’t want them to ever be fearful but I do want them to be proud of their background, culture and religion..

That said, I wouldn’t expect it to be headline news. Given how much is going on in the world, it isn’t headline material. That doesn’t take away from the importance of raising awareness of antisemitism and all kinds of racism.

It's not just a few, synagogues have been attacked, children have been attacked outside synagogues. It's disgusting and not acceptable.

A lot of the anti racist protests which happened recently had lots of anti Zionist signs

This really appalls me. How can people who think they are anti-racist do this?

Yeah and the signs calling Rishi and Suella 'coconuts', absolutely disgusting.