Jewish children were left cowering after teenage thugs pelted their London bus with rocks and rubbish, before storming onto the vehicle and yelling ‘f*** Israel’, as police confirmed they are investigating a ‘potential hate crime’.
Students at Jews’ Free School (JFS) in Kenton, north London, were travelling home on two number 688 buses, operated by Uno, when the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon.
As the buses made a stop in High Street, Edgware, a large group of teenagers from another school began throwing ‘big heavy rocks’ at one of the vehicles, one witness told Jewish Chronicle.
Four teenagers then boarded one of the buses, swearing and making antisemitic remarks towards the Jewish students.
A witness revealed: ‘They were also swearing at us, saying, ‘F*ck Israel, nobody likes you. F*ck off you b*tches.’
Another youngster who was involved in the incident said some of the children ran off the bus to escape the attack, while others cowered under their seats.
They were ‘completely terrified’, they said, adding that the thugs were seen filming the incident on their phones.
It is understood the bus driver, who was ‘a temporary driver’, did not immediately report the incident and it was a parent of one of the children affected who subsequently called the police.
Jewish children were left cowering after teenage thugs pelted their London bus with rocks and rubbish, before storming onto the vehicle and yelling ‘f*** Israel ‘. Pictured: A 688 bus similar to the one that was attacked (file pic)
Met Police said today: ‘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.’
The police added there have been no arrests so far.
In a statement, Transport for London (TfL) said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by news of the incident and is supporting the police investigation.
It said: ‘No-one should ever have to fear or experience abuse when using our network.
As the buses made a stop in High Street, Edgware, a large group of teenagers from another school began throwing ‘big heavy rocks’ at one of the vehicles. Pictured: High Street, Edgware
‘We take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime, and work with the police to pursue anyone who is abusive to our customers or staff.
‘Alongside the bus operator, Uno, we are supporting the police with their investigation and are supplying footage from the CCTV cameras, which all buses are equipped with.
‘We encourage anyone who experienced or witnessed this incident to contact the police.’
On Thursday, JFS sent an email to parents advising that it was aware of the incident and had spoken to Uno, as well as the school attended by the alleged perpetrators.
The email, which has been seen by MailOnline, said: ‘The local schools have been extremely cooperative, where previous incidents have been concerned, and this should be no different.
‘We are in touch with the school involved and the police are also investigating the incident separately.
‘Going forward, we have spoken with the bus company, and should there be any further incidents, the police will be called immediately.
‘On this occasion, there was a temporary driver. Their normal team has been driving the school buses for the last twenty years and do everything they can to keep your children safe.’
A 16-year-old Jewish girl was pelted with bottles and suffered injuries to her head and face in a ‘deliberate and violent’ attack in Stamford Hill, north London on Monday night
Police have launched an investigation into a potential hate crime relating to the incident in Stamford Hill on Monday
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said: ‘It is only right that this alleged incident is now being properly investigated. However, one must ask why were police not called at the time?
‘The simple truth is that our streets are increasingly unsafe for British Jews and their children. Is it any wonder that 69% of British Jews now hide visible signs of their Judaism in public?’
CAA noted that the latest incident comes just a few days after a 16-year-old Jewish girl was pelted with bottles and suffered injuries to her head and face in a ‘deliberate and violent’ attack in Stamford Hill, north London.
The teenager was with a group of schoolgirls walking to a rehearsal on Monday evening when several glass bottles were allegedly thrown by a man on a balcony at Woodberry Down Estate in Stamford Hill.
A video posted by Shomrim, a Jewish neighbourhood watch group which has described the incident as antisemitic and ‘abhorrent’, shows an array of glass shards on the ground alongside what appears to be broken plates.
In a statement on X, Shomrim posted a video of the scene, which is close to a girls’ school, and said the street had been ‘covered in shattered glass following an antisemitic attack on Orthodox Jewish schoolchildren.’
It added: ‘The sheer volume of glass scattered across the area resembles the aftermath of a riot. The force and distance of the thrown glass bottles reveal the deliberate and violent nature of this act.
‘These young children were targeted simply for their visibly Jewish identity.’
Following the incident, the youngster was rushed to Royal London Hospital by Hatzola Ambulance volunteers, where her injuries were assessed as ‘non-life changing’.
Jewish charity Community Security Trust (CST) said there has been a surge in antisemitic incidents in the UK over the last year.
Latest figures show 5,583 incidents were recorded between October 7 last year and September 30.
The figure is three times that of the previous 12-month period, which saw 1,830 incidents recorded in total.
CST, which monitors antisemitism and provides security for the Jewish community in Britain, said most incidents took the form of abusive behaviour (4,583), while others involved threats (401) or assault (302).
One incident of what it described as extreme violence was recorded.
The majority of incidents were recorded in London (3,167), while 729 were recorded in Manchester and 642 in West Yorkshire.
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