“No one could accuse me of targeting Muslim neighbourhoods to provoke a reaction. This was the centre of an ordinary English city and I was minding my own business.” Yet Bradford and Manchester both have significant Muslim populations, and the responses from their leaders make that clear — all their blather about their wonderfully diverse populations, etc. Even though the faces of the anti-Semites are obscured in this video (why?), it is clear that what is going on here is an expression of Islamic anti-Semitism in Britain.
“EXCLUSIVE: ‘Fight the Jewish scum!’ Shocking anti-Semitism on streets of BRITAIN as Jewish journalist is spat at, abused and even stalked… and the same happens in Copenhagen,” by Jonathan Kalmus, Mailonline, March 6, 2015 (thanks to Mick):
With as many as 45 per cent of British Jews fearing they ‘may not have a future in Britain’, according to a survey by the Campaign Against Antisemitism – and following an experiment by Israeli Zvika Klein on the streets of Paris, British journalist Jonathan Kalmus decided to test the levels of prejudice in two British cities with shocking results. Volunteers in Copenhagen and Rome also suffered some abuse, as well as welcoming reactions, while Jewish journalists in Stockholm and Berlin walked for hours without incident.
‘You Jew’ was the anti-Semitic scream which came from a passing car. My shaken wife tried to explain it away to my seven-year-old daughter as a very large sneeze. They were simply playing in a local park in Manchester a few weeks ago when the incident ripped through what should have been a peaceful and wholesome time for any mother and child.
‘Fight the Jewish scum’ and ‘Jew, Jew, Jew… Run’, were the more vicious threats hurled at me in the past few days, however, when I decided to secretly film and find out whether ‘Jew-hatred’ really is alive and kicking on British streets.
The answer to that question is a resounding and heart-sinking yes.
I took the inspiration from the viral videos of Israeli journalist Zvika Klein, who filmed himself being threatened on the streets of Paris, and Muslim Hamdy Mahisen, who filmed himself getting abuse in Milan.
Zvika walked in Paris for 10 hours, Hamdy in Milan for five. It took me just one minute. One minute of walking one single, busy major street in Manchester before abuse was flung at me.
In 25 minutes on that one single street in Longsight, I was spat at by one man and called ‘a Jew’ multiple times by passers by, even by a young boy walking with his father.
I was just walking in the street testing the effect of being clearly identifiable as a Jew by wearing a small traditional Jewish head covering called a kippah.
David Cameron today hit out at the ‘shocking’ discrimination filmed in Manchester and Bradford.
The Prime Minister, speaking to MailOnline, said: ‘There are no excuses for the shocking anti-Semitism revealed in this report.
‘The idea that Jewish people feel unsafe again in Europe strikes at the heart of everything we stand for.
‘We must fight anti-Semitism with everything we have got and make sure Britain remains a country that our Jewish communities are proud to call home.’
Labour leader Ed Miliband told MailOnline: ‘Any act of anti-Semitism on our streets brings shame on those who demonstrate hatred and intolerance towards each other.
‘We need to renew our vigilance and ensure every family of every faith can be secure in our country.
‘We must defend loud and clear and with defiance and determination the values we believe in: tolerance, diversity, freedom of speech and freedom of faith.’
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: ‘Many who are visibly Jewish do suffer this kind of abuse and anti-Semitism and figures from the Community Security Trust (CST) indicate that these kinds of incidents are on the increase.’
However, a spokesman for the CST revealed even it was shocked by the number of comments in the time.
‘The fact incidents like this take place of that nature still takes place does not surprise us. The frequency with which they took place – he experience 10 in an hour’s walking – that is worrying,’ the spokesman said.
‘It suggest lots of these types of incidents maybe going unreported.’
In Bradford the situation was more shameful. It took 13 minutes, during which I was stalked by a man who repeatedly took pictures of me. He followed me on foot for five minutes and thirty seconds according to my footage.
There was a shout of ‘you Jew’ at me as I crossed the road to Bradford City Park. Minutes later a man turned his head and yelled ‘fight the Jewish scum’ just behind my back.
Some time later three youths shouted at me across a street repeatedly, ‘You’re a Jew, not a Muslim…Jew, Jew, Jew run!’
I was prepared to walk for hours and expected to get nothing on camera. On Manchester’s curry mile, a haven of mixed cultures and skin colour, it took two-and-half-minutes for a young lad on a bike to ride up to me and shout, ‘You’re a Jew’ in my face. I was left speechless that anti-Semitism is so obvious.
In total, between the two cities I suffered a series of anti-Semitic hate incidents, more than those in Zvika Klein’s video and achieved in one-tenth of the time here in Britain. What a horrible reality.
Why did I pick Bradford? For a simple reason. Last summer during the height of another Gaza conflict between Israel and Palestinians, 5,000 people, predominantly young Muslim men, gathered for a mass rally in Bradford City Park. The city’s MP, George Galloway, spoke while flanked by two butch men wearing T-shirts emblazoned ‘Palestine’s army you are not alone’.
Mr Galloway has repeated on many, many occasions that his message and political struggle is with Israel and Israelis, not Jews. Despite that, statistics show that bringing the Middle East’s struggles onto the streets of Britain has a direct effect on how people treat Jews.
No one could accuse me of targeting Muslim neighbourhoods to provoke a reaction. This was the centre of an ordinary English city and I was minding my own business.
No one could accuse me of wearing something provocative or political. A Jewish person or any peaceful person walking in a British street anywhere, let alone a city centre, should be welcome.
‘ANTISEMITISM HAS NO PLACE IN OUR DIVERSE AND THRIVING MANCHESTER’
Lucy Powell, the Labour MP for Manchester Central, told MailOnline after watching the footage that: ‘This sort of behaviour is abhorrent and needs to be got rid of from Manchester.
‘We’ve had some of this in the past and we’ve dealt with it very strongly and we should do so again.’
Manchester’s deputy leader said there is ‘no place’ for anti-Semitism in his city after hearing about the results of the experiment.
Councillor Bernard Priest spoke out against the horrific comments and actions of some of the city’s residents during Jonathan Kalmus’ walkabout in Manchester.
‘These incidents are not acceptable and have no place in our diverse and thriving city,’ he told MailOnline.
‘Hate crime can take many forms – from anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia to homophobia or attacks on disabled people – but whoever the victim is, it is always despicable and destructive.
‘Manchester is home to a huge number of different cultures, we have a long history of celebrating this diversity and the vast majority of our residents have respect and tolerance for people from different backgrounds.’
Mr Priest said the council works closely with organisations including Greater Manchester Police and the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as ‘a large number’ of faith and community groups, to raise awareness of hate crime.
A number of third party reporting centres have also been set up, and all victims are encouraged to report any incidents as ‘that is the only way we can understand the scale of the problem’, Mr Priest said.
He added: ‘I hope this journalist will contact the police to provide details of what happened to him.’
But it is no surprise. The latest statistics from the Jewish Community Security Trust show 2014 was the most anti-Semitic year in Britain on record. 1,168 anti-Semitic incidents in 2014 – that is 37 per cent higher than all the attacks in France in the same year. Anti-Semitism in Britain is growing fast. Incident rates have doubled from 2013 to 2014.
It is completely understandable that anyone who does not feel the threat would not realise the extent of anti-Semitism, how common it is and how it effects Jews in our country every day.
But anti-Semitic attacks and verbal abuse are everyday concerns for British Jews.
As I encountered anti-Semitism for nothing but walking in a street, many other people walked past me and did nothing. They heard the comments, and were caught on camera turning back and looking as others hurled abuse. When someone spat on my back no one stopped to intervene.
Many thoughts raced through my mind as I continued to walk and film, but one thought screamed out silently. If you see racism on our streets, stand up against it. And even if you do not see it, stand up against it.
‘BRADFORD IS A CITY OF SANCTUARY BUILT BY WAVES OF MIGRANTS’
Bradford’s council leader defended the city after being told of the experiment’s results, saying community relations are ‘generally very good’ and being strengthened all the time.
Councillor David Green maintains Bradford is a multi-cultural hub which is proud of its diverse and welcoming communities – despite what the MailOnline’s undercover investigation revealed.
Mr Green – who noted the area’s wealth was built on the hard work of ‘successive waves of migrants’ – pointed towards the example of the Grade I listed Bradford Reform Synagogue as an illustration of improving relations in the West Yorkshire city.
The synagogue, which is Yorkshire’s oldest purpose-built shul, had its long-term future secured by the fundraising efforts led by the Muslim community, who worked closely with their Jewish neighbours.
‘This further strengthened the local relationship between Jewish and Muslim Bradfordians,’ said Mr Green.
He added: ‘Bradford is a City of Sanctuary and has a long and proud history of welcoming people as new residents and visitors.
‘There are generally very good community relations in our city.
‘Like everywhere else, there are individuals who would discriminate against other people based on their religion, ethnic origin, gender or disability, but as a council we will always challenge this when it is brought to our attention.’ …