Man allegedly assaults fourteen-year-old identifiably Jewish boy in Manchester and threatens to “rape his mother”
The parent of an identifiably fourteen-year-old Jewish boy has come forward and claimed that his son was assaulted with threats of rape issued against the boy’s mother.
The alleged incident occurred at the junction of Bury Old Road and Singleton Road in Manchester on 6th December at approximately midnight. The boy, who was with a group of friends of similar age, was said to have been approached by a man around the age of twenty.
The father of the victim claims that the man questioned him about their religious affiliation and, upon confirming that they were Jewish, asked about their views on the Israel-Hamas war. When the group of boys provided neutral answers, the man then allegedly attempted to strike the boy, knocking his hat off. It was at this point that a threat of rape against the boy’s mother was said to have been made.
It is understood that the police were called and arrived at the scene at approximately 01:30, roughly an hour and a half after the incident.
Speaking to Campaign Against Antisemitism, the father of the boy expressed concern over the police’s handling of the matter.
He said: “Despite the presence of multiple witnesses from a nearby birthday party and the availability of the vehicle’s licence plate, the police seemed unmotivated to pursue the matter. Even after expressing their disinterest in our situation, we were left with a sense of disillusionment regarding the justice system.”
The father claims that two weeks after the incident, the family is still yet to receive any communication from the police or external authorities, saying that it reinforces “the painful reality that our concerns may not be taken seriously”. This has left the father feeling despondent about how possible crimes may be treated.
With an eye on the current climate for Jews in Britain, the father commented that “In the UK, it appears that individuals feel emboldened to support terrorism, knowing that law enforcement may not act decisively,” he said, adding that his son, following the event, “has expressed fears” and even voiced concern that there may be “threats to our synagogues”.
We are continuing to support the family.
We have approached Greater Manchester Police for comment.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of just under nine hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than twelve times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2021 showed that over two thirds of British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.
Image credit: Google
