Police launch investigation into school bus incident after thugs throw rocks and shout ‘f*** Israel’ – ‘This is pure antisemitism’

Jewish children were left terrified after their school bus was pelted with rocks by teenagers who shouted “f*** Israel”.

Police have confirmed they are now investigating the incident, which involved students at Jews’ Free School (JFS), as a “potential hate crime”.

The pupils at the north London school were travelling home on two 688 buses, operated by Uno, passing through High Street, Edgware on Wednesday.

Teenagers from another school then began throwing “big heavy rocks” at one of the vehicles, whilst shouting expletives about Israel.

A 12-year-old boy told The Jewish Chronicle: “I was sitting at the front of the bus and everyone was completely terrified and hiding under our seats. It was really scary.

“They had big heavy rocks. There is a park nearby and they might have got the rocks from there.”

He said that a group of around 10 teenagers were filming the incident. No passers-by on the street tried to stop them, he said.

Four members of the group then got on the buses, swearing and making antisemitic remarks at the students.

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“They were also swearing at us, saying, ‘F**k Israel, nobody likes you. F**k off you b***hes’. I hope that something like that won’t happen again because it made me scared.”

An 11-year-old girl who was on one of the buses, said that some students got off the bus to run away, whilst others stayed, frozen in fear.

“None of us knew what to do. Some people got off the bus to maybe run away but it was far from my stop so I stayed on the bus. They were swearing at us and filming us. We don’t know what they are going to do with that video or why they did what they did,” she told the publication.

The driver, who was a “temporary driver”, did not immediately report the incident, with a parent of one of the JFS students instead calling the police first.

A parent at the school told GB News that although this kind of incident is rare, it was terrifying for the children involved. “The police will now take action against those involved. This attack was pure antisemtism and those responsible should feel the full force of the law.”

In a letter sent round to parents, JFS said: “The local schools have been extremely cooperative, where previous incidents have been concerned, and this should be no different.

“We are in touch with the school involved and the police are also investigating the incident separately.

“Going forward, we have spoken with the bus company, and should there be any further incidents, the police will be called immediately.

“On this occasion, there was a temporary driver. Their normal team has been driving the school buses for the last twenty years and do everything they can to keep your children safe.’

Met Police said today: “Officers in Barnet are investigating a potential hate crime after a school bus was targeted on High Street, Edgware.

“Stones were thrown at the bus before a group of other students got on and made antisemitic remarks towards those on board.

“Officers from the safer transport team have spoken to the victims involved, as well as their parents, and enquiries are ongoing.”

The police added there have been no arrests so far.