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Marcus Dysch

By

Marcus Dysch,

Marcus Dysch

Opinion

Displaying a tartan kippah won't stop this hatred. Scottish politicians must act now

August 25, 2016 09:54
sfw dysch politics 4
2 min read

Chanan Reitblat's name lives long in my memory.

This week marks exactly five years since he explained to me how he had been "humiliated" when a fellow student at St Andrews University forced his way into a university dorm, rubbed his genitals and proceeded to wipe his hands on Chanan's Israeli flag pinned to the bedroom wall.

The incident, which rightly led to a conviction for racially aggravated behaviour, was seen as one of the lowest points for Jewish students - and indeed the wider Jewish community - in Scotland.

Two years ago, I accompanied Daniel Taub - the then Israeli Ambassador - to Edinburgh University. Security arrangements as he met international politics students were so tight you would have been forgiven for thinking Barack Obama was the guest speaker.