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Victims of bus harassment return to Oxford Street to light menorah
Members of Chabad defiantly returned to scene of attack
December 5, 2021 12:43
Members of Chabad defiantly returned to scene of attack
December 5, 2021 12:43Jewish victims of the Oxford Street hate incident returned to the scene to light the candles in a show of defiance last night.
The menorah lighting, organised by Chabad, attracted a crowd of about 50 supporters and was attended by some of those who had been on the bus that was targeted last week.
It comes as the Board of Deputies called on the BBC to apologise over its reporting that victims used an anti-Muslim slur.
The Board of Deputies has called on the BBC to apologise over its reporting that Jewish victims of antisemitic abuse aboard a bus on Oxford Street had used an anti-Muslim slur.
The Met Police is treating Monday’s incident, captured in a widely shared video this week, as a possible hate crime.
A line in the BBC’s coverage read: “A slur about Muslims can also be heard from inside the bus. The Met Police has said the incident will be looked at ‘in its entirety’.”
But the GnasherJew Twitter account said on Friday that it had investigated the clip and found the phrase “Tikra lemishehu, ze dachuf” could be heard rather than a slur.
In a statement over the weekend, the Board of Deputies called for a correction and for an apology to victims.
The umbrella group said: “The BBC thought that they heard a slur in English. What they were actually hearing was a distressed Jewish man speaking in Hebrew appealing for help.”
Countdown star Rachel Riley also waded in, saying a “ big mistake has clearly been made, now it’s time to own it and apologise.”
After being contacted by the JC, the BBC amended the piece on Friday to remove a reference to multiple slurs.
When approached for comment on Sunday, a BBC spokesperson said: “The article is about the police’s appeal for information. The main focus is the actions of the individuals the police want to identify. The audio appears to show that a slur can be heard coming from the bus. We have changed our story to clarify only one such slur can be heard clearly.”