Muslim woman intervenes to stop anti-Semitic abuse on London Underground
UK police looking for man who unleashed tirade at Jewish family with small children, threatened to assault passengers who tried to intervene
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A Muslim woman won praise after intervening to try and stop a man from unleashing an anti-Semitic diatribe on a Jewish family with small children who were traveling on the London Underground.
The incident was filmed Friday and prompted widespread condemnation, but also praise for the woman who continued to try to get the man to stop, even as he threatened to assault other passengers.
Police said Saturday they were looking for the man.
“A video circulating online showed passengers being harassed and being targeted with anti-Semitic abuse,” British Transport Police said. “Anyone who knows the identity of the man in the image is asked to contact BTP.”
Around noon I witnessed appalling anti Semitic abuse towards this Jewish Family on the northern line. Fair play to other passengers who stood up to him. If you recognise the guy please report to @metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/YxzwAnDqTJ
— Chris Atkins (@scatatkins) November 22, 2019
In the video, the man can be seen pointing to passages in what appears to be a Bible and shouting at a father and several small children who are wearing kippas, talking about the “synagogue of Satan.”
“It was the children that really got me and everyone else, he was just screaming at these children. It was horrific in every sense,” the BBC quoted Chris Atkins, who filmed the incident, as saying.
“He… said in the Bible [that] Jews killed Jesus and they are all slave masters. I’ve lived in London for 20 years and you’re used to people ranting on the Tube – it was only after a minute I realized, ‘hang on this is really, really anti-Semitic.'”
When one passenger tried to stop him, the man threatened him: “You need to get out of my face or I will smack you right in your nose, man. Back up from me. I’m not no Christian pastor. Back the fuck up from me.”
It was then that the Muslim woman intervened. “Come on man, there are children,” she says, and continued to try and calm him down.
“It’s not my opinion, it’s God’s word,” he shouted.
“The Muslim woman… really, really took him to task, very firmly and persistently,” Atkins said. “In this day and age we are told how intolerant everyone is and all religions hate each other and there you had a Muslim woman sticking up for some Jewish children.”
Atkins said the family had given him permission to share the video.
After the video circulated online, the woman won widespread praise for her actions.
And it was a brave muslim woman in a hijab who distracted this guy from continuing his sickening aggression towards a Jewish man & little boy with him on the London Underground#Antisemitism #racism #SayNoToRacism #Islamophobia #antiSemitic #racist #news #brexit #UnitedWeStand https://t.co/WpA4pMfLql
— AlexCam (@followalexcam) November 23, 2019
“We want more of this. Thank you lady!,” wrote one person on Twitter. “The hijabi Muslim woman standing up for the Jewish family deserves a medal. Absolutely brave,” wrote another.
The Times of Israel Community.