Youths ‘throw rocks’ and yell obscenities at JFS school buses
Students from an unnamed school allegedly boarded one of the buses as it stopped in Edgware
Police are investigating after a group of students allegedly threw rocks and rubbish at two JFS school buses.
According to the Jewish Chronicle, a number of students from an unnamed school boarded one of the buses as it made a stop in Edgware, yelling ‘F*** Israel, nobody likes you. F*** off you b******”.
The paper quotes 11-year-old Gabi: “They came on and they did not look friendly. They went upstairs and started swearing and showing the middle finger. I saw them when they ran downstairs – they were filming us – and then they got off and started throwing things at the bus. I don’t know where they got the rocks from – maybe they had them in their bags.
“None of us knew what to do. Some people got off the bus to maybe run away but it was far from my stop so I stayed on the bus. They were swearing at us and filming us. We don’t know what they are going to do with that video or why they did what they did.”
A spokesperson from CST told Jewish News: “This was undoubtedly a frightening experience for the Jewish children on this bus, who ought to be able to go to school without fearing this kind of abuse and harassment on their journey. We are providing support to JFS while liaising closely with police and Transport for London to ensure that the incident is fully investigated and that extra support and protection is provided to school students.”
A Scotland Yard spokesperson told Jewish News: “Officers in Barnet are investigating a potential hate crime after a school bus was targeted on High Street, Edgware. Stones were thrown at the bus before a group of other students got on and made antisemitic remarks towards those on board. Officers from the safer transport team have spoken to the victims involved, as well as their parents, and enquiries are ongoing.”
Superintendent Lorraine Busby-McVey, in charge of neighbourhood policing in Barnet, said: “This was a distressing incident for those on the bus and the behaviour of the individuals responsible is completely unacceptable. There is no place for hate crime either here or across the rest of London, and a thorough investigation is underway.”
There have been no arrests.
Jewish News has approached Transport for London for comment.
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