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'The BBC lied and police failed us': Chanukah attack victim speaks out

A year on from the Oxford Street attack, one victim is still scared that she might bump into one of the antisemitic thugs who hurled abuse at her

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A year on from the infamous Oxford Street Chanukah bus attack, one victim is still scared that she might bump into one of the antisemitic thugs who hurled abuse at her thanks to police failings.

A botched BBC report that smeared attack victims as having shouted an anti-Muslim slur is another ongoing source of pain.

When on 29 November 2021, four men kicked, punched and spat at a Chabad tour bus organised to celebrate the religious festival it sparked furious denunciations.

Then Prime Minister Boris Johnson said footage of the assault was “disturbing”, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan insisted “antisemitism has no place in society”.

Twelve months on, however, a police investigation into the hate crime has been dropped, with none of the perpetrators having been identified.

Victim Joanne, who requested that her surname not be used for her own safety, said she was “shocked” to discover the Met had closed the case. “They need to find these people somehow,” she said.

“Why didn’t they ask people to come forwards, why did the Campaign Against Antisemitism and the JC have to offer money for people to come forward, why did it have to reach that stage?”

The police did not even contact the London resident to inform her that the case had been dropped.

Investigating officers reportedly failed to review CCTV footage from the scene, potentially losing a vital opportunity to identify suspects.

Compounding the criminal justice failure, is that the BBC “basically lied,” Joanne added.

“There’s no consequences, they can just say whatever they want,” she told the JC. “What annoys me is that the BBC is a legit source of information, so if you go to uni and write an essay you can use it as a reference [sic].”

The Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment.

READ MORE: Ofcom slams BBC’s 'serious' editorial failures over Chanukah bus attack reporting

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