‘It’s terrifying to be a Jew,’ says woman after threats from pro-Palestinians in London
A Jewish woman called the British radio station LBC earlier this week and spoke live on air about an antisemitic incident she witnessed in North London on Sunday.
Pro-Palestinians in North London allegedly shouted antisemitic slurs on May 16, 2021. Source: Screenshot
Emily from the London Borough of Barnet talked about anti-Israel activists who yelled, “F*** the Jews, f*** their daughters, f*** their mothers, rape their daughters and free Palestine” while driving by Jewish-owned homes on Sunday. Footage shared on social media showed a convoy of cars, covered with Palestinian flags, driving down North London as passengers shouted antisemitic abuse and threats against Jews.
“I can’t even put into words how terrifying it is at the moment being a Jew, living in North London, seeing what we saw in the streets last night,” Emily said on-air. “It broke my heart, and myself and a lot of people that I know. We’re just too shocked for words.”
But, she added, “what’s really, really upsetting me is the people that you’re having on, the people who are calling in and saying yes, the video is awful, but … .”
This video, arguably, “has nothing to do with what is going on in Israel,” said Emily.
When LBC’s Nick Ferrari asked Emily if she thinks conflict in the Middle East enflames the situation in the United Kingdom, she said it does, adding: “Every time something big happens there, the antisemitism here rises.”
Scotland Yard said that it arrested four men on Sunday night connected to the incident, which British Parliament member David Lammy of the Labour Party called “a disgrace.”
He told LBC, “we should never confuse differences of opinion about what is happening in the Middle East with antisemitic behaviour.” He called for a “crackdown” on antisemitic actions and said: “Directing vile insults at Jewish populations in this country is totally unacceptable. It must stop.”
