This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/antisemitic-threats-children-sydney-bus

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Five teenagers accused of antisemitic threats to children on Sydney bus Five teenagers accused of antisemitic threats to children on Sydney bus
(about 4 hours later)
Five teenagers have been arrested over an alleged antisemitic attack on a group of Jewish schoolchildren on a bus in Sydney. New South Wales police have arrested five teenagers after a group of Jewish schoolchildren were allegedly subjected to antisemitic abuse, including threats to kill them, in Sydney.
Police say the teenagers were arrested in Dover Heights about 3.30am on Thursday. According to police, the teenagers boarded a bus full of schoolchildren, aged between five and 12, which was heading to Bondi Junction on Wednesday afternoon. The group then directed antisemitic abuse and threats at the children.
They have been released into the custody of their parents as investigations continue. Jacqui Blackburn, the mother of three of the children, told the Daily Telegraph her daughters called her to say, “Please help us mummy, there’s eight drunk men that have just been let on to our school bus.”
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of eight teenagers boarded a bus full of children, aged between five and 12, in Randwick which was headed to Bondi Junction, police say. Blackburn added: “The bus driver opened the doors for these strange men and allowed them on to torment the kids.
The mother of three of the children says the group started screaming antisemitic abuse. “They were screaming, ‘Heil Hitler,’ ‘Kill the Jews,’ ‘Palestine must kill you Jews,’ ‘We are going to cut your throats and slice your throats open.’ Just all very bad, antisemitic stuff.”
Jacqui Blackburn has told the Daily Telegraph her three terrified daughters called her saying: “Please help us mummy, there’s eight drunk men that have just been let on to our school bus. The teenagers also said “Fuck Israel, free Palestine”, according to accounts from other children on the bus. The children were described to be panicking and crying afterwards.
“They’re screaming, ‘Heil Hitler, kill the Jews ... we’re going to cut your throats’ ... then the phone cut off.” A NSW police spokeswoman said five boys aged between 15 and 17 had been arrested on Military Road about 3.30am on Thursday.
The NSW communities minister, Victor Dominello, said he was deeply disturbed by the reports. They were taken to Waverley police station where they were released into the custody of their parents. The investigation is ongoing.
“We’ve been so lucky in this country that we have not had so much blood shed that we’ve seen overseas and in order to avoid that happening we must continue to condemn any racial attacks that we see in this country,” he said. Security has been tightened at the schools the abuse victims attend, with an armed guard seen patrolling the entrance to the Mount Sinai College in Maroubra. Moriah College and Emmanuel College are also understood to have posted security guards on campus.
The allegations follow the heavy bombardment of the Gaza strip by Israel for the past month. Palestinian officials say the military offensive has killed 1,867 people, mostly civilians. Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed in the fighting, which has now entered the second day of a ceasefire.
Victor Dominello, the NSW communities minister, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the antisemitic attack. “Public abuse and intimidation on the grounds of race or religion is deplorable,” he said.
“The people of NSW will never excuse it and those who are alleged to have subjected schoolchildren as young as five to this antisemitic attack should face the full force of the law.
“We are lucky to live in one of the most harmonious multicultural societies in the world but we must never be complacent. It is incumbent upon all citizens to expose those whose actions are based on racial hatred and who seek to import overseas conflict on to our streets.”