Police call for help identifying suspects in last week’s antisemitic incident on Oxford Street
The Metropolitan Police have issued a call for witnesses and assistance in identifying suspects in last week’s antisemitic incident on Oxford Street.
The Met is investigating as a hate crime an attack on a bus that travelled down Oxford Street on 30th November carrying a group of visibly Jewish teenagers celebrating the Jewish festival of Chanukah. Videos taken by passengers on the bus appeared to show a group of men hitting the vehicle with their hands and then their shoes, spitting on it, trying to break windows and performing Nazi salutes, as well as shouting antisemitic insults and swearing. Further footage was published showing that the teenage passengers had been dancing in the street before being accosted and forced back onto the private bus.
Shneor Glitsenstein, Director of the Chabad Israeli Centre Golders Green, who was on the bus with 40 young people, said: “Let me be clear: on Monday evening we were attacked on the streets of London for being Jewish and celebrating Chanukah. While our bus contained no references to Israel, we were clearly a Jewish group. The young men who surrounded us were not engaged in political protest; this was a bigoted antisemitic attack in the heart of London, seen by dozens of others, who stood by silently.”
Police reportedly stopped the bus in Grosvenor Place to check on the welfare of the passengers.
The Met have now released images of three men to whom the force would like to speak.
Detective Inspector Kevin Eade said: “Our investigation into this appalling incident continues and we are now in a position to release three clearer images of the men we would like to speak to. Despite extensive inquiries over the past week, we are yet to make any arrests; however, I am confident that somebody will recognise the people in these images, and I would urge anyone who does to contact us immediately.”
If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or the Charing Cross Hate Crime Unit on 07900 608 252, quoting reference number: 6184/29Nov. Alternatively, you can tweet @MetCC or e-mail Campaign Against Antisemitism at investigations@antisemitism.org.
Earlier this week, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to the BBC demanding explanations over its outrageous coverage of the incident.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said “This was a heinous antisemitic attack on a group of Jewish teenagers celebrating Chanukah at the heart of our nation’s capital. We urge members of the public to help the police identify suspects and persons of interest so that the culprits can be brought to justice. If you recognise these individuals, please contact the police or us on a confidential basis.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.
Image credit: Metropolitan Police Service
