‘Get out of the city, Jew!’ Hasmo students assaulted at Belsize Park tube station
Hate crime investigation opened as mother says her Year 7 son had his head smashed on the wall whilst assailants allegedly pushed another student onto the side of a stationary train
British Transport Police are appealing for information following an alleged anti-Semitic assault on a group of Jewish students on Monday afternoon at Belsize Park tube station in north London.
Authorities were called at around 4pm following reports that eight Year 7 students from Hasmonean had been attacked by a group of around between at least four students from an as yet unnamed school.
Speaking to Jewish News on the condition of anonymity, the mother of one of the Year 7 students said the verbal abuse towards the Jewish boys began en route to the station and continued as the Jewish boys walked down the stairs to the platform.
She said her son and his friends have seen the group “many times in the past and they have taunted them with anti-Semitic verbal abuse”.
On this occasion, she claimed, “they ran ahead of my son and kicked one of his friends to the ground. They were trying to push another kid towards the tracks. They got him as far the yellow line. I’m not sure how he managed to get away. They threw his kippah onto the tracks. My son ran a few steps up to try and get help. They ran after him, he was elbowed in the cheek and he hit his head against the wall. They dislodged a tooth and shouted ‘Get out of the city Jew!'”
She adds that a fourth boy had his payes pulled.
She added that a member of the public “helped the boy who had been kicked to the ground. When my son got elbowed, another man saw it, said it was not OK and that he’d call the police.”
The woman’s son and his two friends got on a train and came home. She does not know what happened to the other Jewish students who were part of the group.
She tells Jewish News: “The child who was being pushed was being taunted all the way from school and on the way to the tube. They followed him. My son is very shaken. He couldn’t sleep last night. He said ‘It’s not fair. Why do they do this to us’.
She added: “I feel that encapsulates what antisemitism feels like. Why? What have we done?”
She says that “Police are taking it seriously. They went to Hasmo and sat down with the assistant head. The school has also spoken at length to CST. There’s a lot of support from the British Transport police. It feels like they’re not going to just let it slide.”
A second mother, also speaking on condition of anonymity said her son “wasn’t attacked because he’s a big boy and they weren’t going to start with him.”
Whilst her son noted the name of the attackers’ school from their uniformed blazer, she tells Jewish News she will “wait for their headteacher to deal with it before disclosing their name.”
She clarified that the boy pushed towards the tracks by the group was shoved against a stationary train that had pulled into the station.
Jewish News understands that police are now reviewing CCTV footage of the incident.
In a statement released to Twitter/X on Tuesday afternoon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I utterly condemn this sickening attack against Jewish children. Antisemitism has no place on the streets of London.”
In a statement on Twitter/X, CST said it is “providing extra support and reassurance to the school as well as liaising with British Transport Police, who have confirmed that a hate crime investigation has been opened and will ensure additional police presence in the area.”
Anyone with information on the Belsize Park assault is asked to text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40 with reference 471 of 24 June.To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Jewish News has approached Hasmonean School for comment.
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