Principal calls for calm after bus attack
STUDENTS that were subjected to anti-Semitic abuse on a school bus last week just want to put the incident behind them. That was the message from Mount Sinai College (MSC) principal Phil Roberts, who spoke to The AJN after a meeting with other principals on Monday.
STUDENTS that were subjected to anti-Semitic abuse on a school bus last week just want to put the incident behind them. That was the message from Mount Sinai College (MSC) principal Phil Roberts, who spoke to The AJN after a meeting with other principals on Monday.
Stressing that the kids are now fine, Roberts said, “We are just interested in returning to normal because we have taken a very level-headed approach to the incident.
“The principals are aware of restoring calm because we recognise that the media attention didn’t correspond with the actual event.”
The incident took place last Wednesday afternoon when six drunk teenagers who had boarded the school bus at Queens Park, started abusing students from MSC, Moriah College and The Emanuel School.
According to reports, the teens yelled “Heil Hitler” and threatened to slit the students’ throats.
Parents subsequently expressed their outrage that the bus driver allowed the youths, who did not attend a Jewish school, onto the bus. But The AJN has discovered the driver had no choice.“If the school students hail us down then we have to pick them up,” another bus driver told The AJN.
“The bus driver was doing his job because, although the Jewish schools might think they charter the bus, the reality is that they do not.
“The problem is with the system and it needs to be changed.”
A spokesperson for State Transit confirmed that school buses are for all school children.
“Bus drivers are required to pick up school children and reports that this was a private school bus is a miscommunication,” a spokesman said.
The incident was also condemned by federal Race Discrimination Commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane.
In an exclusive interview with The AJN, Soutphommasane said he was “very disturbed” by the virulent anti-Semitism expressed.
“I can understand why emotions can be running high but there is no justification for racism of any kind in our society,” he said.
“We should have robust public debate in a liberal democracy, including on foreign affairs. But there’s a very clear and unambiguous distinction we can draw in this case between Israel and the Jewish people.
“You can criticise Israel and Israeli policy but that offers no excuse to be denigrating or vilifying Jewish people.”
JOSHUA LEVI AND GARETH NARUNSKY
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