A group of Jewish students have been attacked with antisemitic slurs by Jeremy Corbyn supporters whilst protesting at a rally in Bristol.
Jeremy Corbyn held an outdoor election rally on the city's College Green on Monday. Jewish students at the University of Bristol were present to protest the Labour leader’s record on antisemitism.
Dalia Brown, one of the protesters, told the JC she was called a “filthy Jew”, and told that she "should go back to where we belong” and that “we’re not wanted here”.
Video footage from the rally shows a man wearing a Labour sticker, telling the students: “You’re the killer of Palestinian people… you’re an absolute disgrace.”
Former UJS President Hannah Rose shared a video of the counter-demonstration, where people chanted "from Kashmir to Palestine, occupation is a crime".
The absolute state of this.
Jewish students protested Labour antisemitism at a Corbyn visit to Bristol today. Not only did local labour supporters counter-protest, but accused them of occupying Palestine and Kashmir. Police were called.
Emma Russell, another of the protesters, told the JC she was called a “puppet of the Zionist media” by one supporter, who asked one of her friends “if the Israeli government were paying us to be there”.
He also asked her to explain the killing of Palestinian children, despite the fact that, Ms Russell claims, “none of our posters, none of our rhetoric mentioned Israel at all.”
Another man was shown in a video to approach a protester, telling him: “You’re a pr**k, what are you doing? You’re friends of the f**king media, man. Siding with the Tories.”
One protester, Chloe Kaye, said she was told by people who identified themselves as Labour supporters “you’re a filthy Zionist”, “you’re a puppet of the Zionist lobby”, and that “antisemitism is a conspiracy theory in Labour”.
“None of us mentioned Israel once. When I was speaking to these people they just couldn’t understand why calling me a filthy Zionist was antisemitic.”
Ms Kaye added that one person she encountered tried to justify Hamas, saying that the terror group had changed recently and no longer want to wipe out all Jews.
Ms Russell said: “It’s really alarmed me to know that this is going on so close to where I live in Bristol.”
Ms Brown said it was “quite an uncomfortable, scary atmosphere”, and that someone from a nearby office called the police and came out to stand with them until they arrived.
Both Ms Russell and Ms Brown said they did not feel safe after the experience.
A spokesperson for Bristol University JSoc said they were “shocked and saddened about the physical and verbal antisemitic abuse that Jewish students experienced at the Bristol Labour party rally on Monday.
“Jewish students have the same rights as any other group to protest and make their voices heard.”
