Jewish School Bus Reportedly Boarded By Unruly Rock-Throwing Anti-Israel Teens in UK

(Daily Caller) A group of 10 teenagers allegedly attacked two school buses belonging to the Jewish Free School (JFS) filled with students during a stop in London, England, Thursday.

The mob pelted the buses with rocks and trash before four of the teens allegedly boarded one of the buses, The Jewish Chronicle reported.

“We heard what sounded like screaming from the bus behind us,” a 12-year-old student told the outlet. “People in the back of the bus were screaming, ‘oh my God, they are throwing trash and rocks,’” he said. The 12-year-old said that the mob threw “big heavy rocks” that they might have gotten from a nearby park.

“They were also swearing at us, saying, ‘F*ck Israel, nobody likes you. F*ck off you b*tches.’ They were filming us like they were enjoying it. There were lots of people in the street and no one tried to stop them. I hope that something like that won’t happen again because it made me scared,” the child said.

“They came on and they did not look friendly,” Gabi, an 11-year-old who was in the other bus, said. “They went upstairs and started swearing and showing the middle finger. I saw them when they ran downstairs – they were filming us – and then they got off and started throwing things at the bus. I don’t know where they got the rocks from – maybe they had them in their bags,” she said.

A parent of one of the Jewish students called the police. The Community Security Trust (CST), an English Jewish charity that defends Jews from terrorism and antisemitism, have taken action in the aftermath of the incident. “This stop is near another school and there has been trouble before from children from this other school. We are supporting JFS and speaking to the other school to see if they can deal with it,” Dave Rich, CST’s Director of Policy, told The Jewish Chronicle.

Rich said that CST suggested the London police ramp up their presence at the bus stop where the incident occurred. “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,” JFS said in an email to the parents of the students.

JFS was founded as the Jews’ Free School in 1732, the organization’s website says. “JFS has grown to become one of the most renowned Jewish schools in the world, with a legacy of academic excellence, social responsibility, and communal engagement,” the website noted.

Antisemitism has spiked worldwide since Hamas’s bloody assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Anti-Jewish hate crimes rose over 50 percent in the United States alone in 2023 compared to 2022, according to FBI data. On Oct. 18, nearly two weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre, a synagogue in Germany was firebombed and European officials decried the rising tide of antisemitism across the continent.

A recent poll found that 12 percent of residents in France would welcome a “Jew-free” country.