Four men arrested after anti-Semitic abuse was allegedly heard being shouted from a car in north London have been released on bail.
Footage published on social media showed a convoy of cars covered with Palestinian flags passing down Finchley Road, with passengers reportedly being heard to use offensive language and issuing threats against Jews.
The Metropolitan Police said the incident took place in the St John’s Wood area of the city on May 16.
Officers traced the car to the A40 in Hillingdon and four men were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences.
The Met said they were also arrested in connection with a “similar incident” that took place shortly after 1.30am on Sunday in the Broughton Park area of Salford Manchester.
All four have been released on bail “pending further inquiries”, the Met said.
The incident received cross-party criticism, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemning the acts as “shameful racism” that have “no place” in society.
It took place after thousands of people marched through London on Saturday to the gates of the Israeli embassy, while protests took place in other cities across the UK and Ireland in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes after a week of sustained conflict.
Since last Monday night, the Palestinian militant group Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, whose military responded by barraging the Gaza Strip with tank fire and air strikes.
Read the complete article at: Yahoo
Also Read: CNN Drops Freelancer Adeel Raja Over Pro-Hitler, Anti-Semitic Tweets
Four men arrested after anti-Semitic abuse was allegedly heard being shouted from a car in north London have been released on bail. Footage published on social media showed a convoy of cars covered with Palestinian flags passing down Finchley Road, with passengers reportedly being heard to use offensive language and issuing threats against Jews.
About a dozen people protested outside Monday night’s Bladen County Board of Education meeting with concerns about a new social studies curriculum they believe is harmful to their children.
In February, the State Board of Education approved new Social Studies standards for all students in grades K-12.
Some parents and grandparents do not agree with topics like gender identity potentially being included as a Social Studies topic.
“Teaching children that it’s okay if you’re a boy but you think you’re a girl, or vice-versa, you’re a girl but you want to be a boy, that is something that is for the parents to raise their children and teach their children,” said grandmother Tammy Heath.
Bladen County Republican Party Chair Wayne Schaeffer says another concern is teaching systemic racism as part of American History.
“This is not encouraging a legitimate or even a patriotic approach to America, it’s developing a sense of guilt on the part of these kids, especially the white kids,” Schaeffer said. It’s political garbage that’s being cloaked as an educational program. They’ve used very fancy words, but when you read between the lines it’s nonsense. I don’t want my kids or my grandkids being taught this.”
An earlier draft of the new standards included curriculums on systemic racism and gender identity, however the words systemic and gender have since been removed.
Supporters of the new standards say they will be more inclusive of historically marginalized voices.
Parents tried to attend Monday’s Board of Education meeting to have some of their concerns heard, but were turned away at the door along with WWAY.
WWAY asked board members for clarification of the new standards and were referred to superintendent Dr. Jason Atkinson.
Atkinson told us he had no comment at this time, and could set up an interview for a later date.
Source: WWAY TV3
Also Read: How Racism Affects Children of Color in Public Schools
CNN has dropped freelance contributor Adeel Raja after it was revealed that he posted a series of anti-Semitic comments on social media and praised the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on a number of occasions.
The Islamabad-based journalist on Sunday tweeted that “the world today needs a Hitler,” and quickly removed the post when it sparked backlash.
He has previously declared his support for the German national football team because of “what Hitler did with Jews.”
“The only reason I am supporting Germany in the finals is – Hitler was a German and he did good with those jews!” Raja posted ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina.
In a separate post around that time, Raja also said: “My support for Germany is due to what Hitler did with Jews!”
The freelancer presented himself as a CNN contributor and had a byline on the network’s website as recently as September last year. His first CNN byline is dated January 2, 2014—several months before his anti-Semitic tweets during the Fifa World Cup.
Mediaite reported last night that Raja has since removed “Freelance Contributor at CNN” from his Twitter bio. However, he still has CNN listed among other past employers and clients on his LinkedIn profile. Newsweek has contacted CNN for further comment.
In a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner, CNN said that Raja would not be working with the network again “in any capacity,” and clarified that he had never been an employee.
“Adeel Raja has never been a CNN employee. As a freelancer, his reporting contributed to some newsgathering efforts from Islamabad,” CNN spokesman Matt Dornic told the Examiner.
“However, in light of these abhorrent statements, he will not be working with CNN again in any capacity.”
Read the complete article at: News Week
Also Read: Man arrested after van covered in pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic slogans appears in Miami
Rob Bonta, California’s new attorney general, is known as a leading advocate for criminal justice reform.
From defending the state’s gun control laws to investigating fatal police shootings to eliminating cash bail and reducing incarceration, his work is cut out for him in that realm.
As the first Filipino American to hold the office, Bonta has another top priority — fighting anti-Asian racism at a time when hate attacks are rising up and down the state and across the nation. He plans to create a racial justice bureau to combat white supremacy and biased policing as well as to explore reparations for slavery.
In his office, he keeps a photo of a sign hung in a Stockton hotel lobby in 1920: “Positively no Filipinos allowed.”
Born in the Philippines, Bonta, 48, immigrated to the United States when he was 2 months old. As a child in the Sacramento area, he said, he was called racist names and never felt like he belonged.
His parents, Warren and Cynthia Bonta, shared stories about their activism over steaming bowls of sinigang, a Filipino stew. His father, who is white, marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala. His mother helped organize Filipino and Mexican American laborers for the United Farm Workers.
Bonta attended college at Yale, where he captained the soccer team, and he also earned his law degree there.
Before his election to the state Assembly, Bonta was a deputy city attorney for San Francisco and worked as a private attorney handling cases involving racial profiling and other mistreatment.
Bonta, a Democrat, was elected to the California Assembly in 2012 as its first Filipino American member.
His April confirmation to the state’s highest law enforcement office came after Asian American leaders called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to choose someone who would prioritize fighting anti-Asian attacks.
Read the complete article at: Los Angeles Times
Also Read: Jamie Chung talks about experiencing racism: ‘I can never hide my Asianness’
A Miami boat captain and his sister were driving on a street near Coconut Grove on Thursday afternoon when they saw a group of men using markers to scrawl on a van with swastikas and anti-Semitic slurs. Shocked, they turned around to video-record them — and at least six men began raising their arms in the Nazi salute.
“To see actual Nazis gleefully writing on their presumably rented van was just shocking,” Todd Amelung-Wilson said. “They seemed pretty proud of themselves … We were really shaken.”
The bizarre encounter happened on Southwest 27th Street near 24th Avenue in Miami about 1:30 p.m. Miami police later arrested one of the men during an unrelated traffic stop.
The man, Joseph Bounds, 33, of Denver, Colorado, was charged with misdemeanor resisting a police officer without violence and failure to obey a police officer.
According to a police arrest report, an officer had stopped the van on Biscayne Boulevard at Northeast First Street about 3:40 p.m. when Bounds stepped out and into the middle of the street to video record the encounter. A Miami police sergeant “gave him 3 lawful commands to step away from traffic” and he repeatedly refused, according the report.
The men are part of a small virulently anti-Semitic group called the Goyim Defense League, which regularly engages in stunts to harass Jewish people and have been in Florida this month. Last week, they were in Central Florida protesting at a Holocaust education center. The Anti-Defamation League has identified Bounds as part of the group.
Their arrival in South Florida has alarmed local Jewish leaders, which circulated warnings about the group this week.
“It is imperative that no matter what they say you DO NOT ENGAGE them in any way, even though it may be very tempting to do so,” one warning circulated online said. “The goal, our goal, is to simply ignore them and to avoid a confrontation of any kind. Be aware that various law enforcement enforcement agencies are engaged in gathering intelligence and making sure that everything stays peaceful.”
Read the complete article at: Miami Herald
Also Read: Berkeley Police Arrest Suspect for Series of Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes
American Idol’s Top 5 just became a Top 4. Finalist Caleb Kennedy has left the show after a racist Snapchat video featuring Kennedy sitting next to someone appearing to wear a Ku Klux Kan hood made the rounds on social media. American Idol confirmed the 16-year-old Kennedy’s exit in a statement to People, saying, “American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy will no longer be moving forward in the competition.” Recently eliminated contestants Arthur Gunn and Hunter Metts will not be returning to the singing competition to replace Kennedy; instead, Sunday’s episode will feature the remaining four semifinalists, Chayce Beckham, Casey Bishop, Grace Kinstler, and Willie Spence, one of whom will be eliminated.
In the video, Kennedy is seen allegedly sitting beside a person wearing a KKK-style hood, a historic symbol of white domestic terrorism and racism. In an Instagram post, Kennedy revealed that he was leaving the singing competition, writing, “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way.” The South Carolinian continued, “I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.”
Kennedy’s mother, Anita Guy, told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal that Kennedy doesn’t have “a racist bone in his body,” and that the video has been misinterpreted. “This video was taken after Caleb had watched the movie The Strangers: Prey at Night, and they were imitating those characters,” Guy maintained. “He loves everyone and has friends of all races.” A slasher film from 2018 starring Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, The Strangers: Prey at Night depicts people wearing white face masks and head coverings, albeit in different shapes and styles than the one clearly depicted in the alleged video of Kennedy.
Read the complete article at: Vanity Fair
A bill targeting school discussions of racism and social issues has been approved by the Texas House but not before lawmakers tacked on several amendments and debated the measure for hours.
The Republican authors of the broad legislation, with a companion bill that has cleared the Senate, say it aims to prevent political agendas in schools, but education advocates have expressed concerns that it will hinder student civic engagement and class discussions of history and racism.
Dozens of organizations — including business groups and school district leaders in Austin and the Dallas area — joined opposition to the legislation.
“The bill has gotten a great deal of attention for its focus on race and gender, but it is far more broad than that, and would limit discussion in classrooms potentially of almost any current issue,” Austin school board Trustee Lynn Boswell said.
It follows similar legislation passed in other states against the teaching of critical race theory, an academic framework of thought challenging white supremacy and systemic racism. In Texas, House Bill 3979, which passed 79-65 mostly along party lines, still requires Senate approval before it can potentially reach Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, who authored HB 3979, insisted it did not ban discussions of topics such as racism or current events, but he tweaked the bill during a Monday debate that extended into early Tuesday to say teachers may not be compelled to discuss “a particular current event or widely debated and currently controversial issue.”
“The bill simply asks that we talk about these issues from a diverse and contending perspective,” he said ahead of the second vote Tuesday.
He also added an amendment specifically against requiring “an understanding of The 1619 Project,” an initiative from The New York Times examining the role of slavery in the founding of the United States that sparked criticism from conservatives.
Read the complete article at: Austin American-Statesman
Also Read: Racism – not teaching about it – is the real threat to education
Over the past year, there has been an alarming increase in anti-Asian sentiment and discrimination in the United States. The advocacy and hate reporting group Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate reports more than 6,600 hate incidents — including harassment, shunning, and physical attacks — since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Kids are also being targeted more frequently: as of September 2020, one in four Asian American youths reported experiencing racist bullying. And many experts believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Break the silence
“Research has found that Asian Americans are among the least likely to report hate incidents,” says Erica Lee, a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital. “There are various reasons they remain silent, including the high value many Asian cultures place on maintaining social harmony. They may not speak out because they don’t want to bring more attention to themselves, burden their loved ones, or report to law enforcement.” These factors can make it harder for Asian Americans to advocate for themselves when they experience discrimination or racism.
Lee says this makes it important for parents to address the issue of anti-Asian hate and racism with their children. “Kids take their cues from parents. When parents are silent about racism it can make kids feel even more scared, alone and confused. We are not ‘shielding’ them by ignoring these issues, because they will fill in the gaps.”
Empower kids to speak up
Lee says Asian American parents and kids may also feel guilty about naming the racism they experience when they see more extreme or frequent racism occurring against those from other backgrounds. “Asian American kids may feel like they don’t have the right to be upset, because there are ‘worse’ things happening to others. But as parents, we need to try to teach them that their feelings and safety matter too, and it’s okay to speak up.”
Read the complete article at: Boston Children’s Hospital
Also Read: Jamie Chung talks about experiencing racism: ‘I can never hide my Asianness’
One candidate for Beaverton School Board posted on her campaign Facebook page: “Let’s run from Critical Race Theory which teaches racism and go towards alternate solutions that creates unity and understanding.” Another candidate posted on her campaign Facebook page that “CRT (critical race theory) teaches hate.”
For an election that typically flies under the radar, the emergence of critical race theory as a campaign issue reflects the lingering influence of former President Donald Trump and confusion about what examining race in K-12 education actually means.
The mischaracterization of critical race theory is no mistake. It is a platitude that has emerged from the political right in recent years in an attempt to undermine the work of social justice and equity advocates to address racial disparities in education. Last November, Trump commanded the Office of Management and Budget director to order executive agencies to cancel any contracts for training on the topics of “white privilege” or “critical race theory.” The memo ends with a similar mischaracterization: “The divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda of the critical race theory movement is contrary to all we stand for as Americans and should have no place in the Federal government.”
These criticisms of critical race theory are rarely accompanied with an explanation or definition. Critical race theory argues that any thinking about race should recognize that race is a social construct with no biological basis. Further, that racism is embedded in our society and institutions. Acknowledging these realities as a starting point can help leaders examine and better understand why racial inequities persist in education outcomes.
For example, in the 2018-19 school year, why did only 30% and 28% of Black and Latino 8th graders in Beaverton, respectively, demonstrate grade-level proficiency in math? Or why, more than 65 years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, are the majority of Black students still attending racially segregated schools? By investigating such phenomena with a critical race theory lens, one can uncover the often difficult-to-see manifestations of systemic racism and reach beyond crude judgements of values and ability.
Read the complete article at: Oregon Live
Also Read: Harris says banning schools from teaching about racism is a disservice
Police in Berkeley on Tuesday announced the recent arrest of a suspect in connection with multiple hate crimes involving graffiti, burglary and vandalism aimed at people of the Jewish faith, according to authorities.
In a release issued by the Berkeley Pol9ice Department, authorities said the suspect vandalized a private residence on the 2500 block of Warring Street with graffiti referencing those of Jewish faith and also destroyed a Jewish religious artifact early on the morning of April 29 between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Early that evening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., the same suspect was seen vandalizing a Jewish synagogue on the 1300 block of Oxford Street with anti-Semitic writing. The suspect also destroyed religious artifacts and left a handmade reverse swastika.
Early the following morning on April 30 between 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., the same suspect was caught on surveillance video burglarizing a Jewish community center on the 2700 block of Bancroft Way. During that burglary, the suspect wrote several bizarre messages in English and Hebrew that referenced Judaism. The suspect also rearranged some items into shrines and took some items.
Berkeley police reviewed surveillance videos of the incidents and were able to develop a suspect in the case. After additional investigation, officers identified the suspect — a 39-year-old man with no fixed address — and began searching for him.
On May 3, officers spotted the suspect in Civic Center Park and arrested him on suspicion of burglary, vandalism and defacing or destroying property for the purpose of intimidating/interfering with the free exercise of any right/privilege secured to the person by the Constitution. The third charge is considered a hate crime.
Police said a hate crime is any crime against a person, group, or property motivated by the victim’s real or perceived protected social group.
“The Berkeley Police Department recognizes and places a high priority on the rights of all individuals guaranteed under state and federal law,” the release said. “The commission of a hate crime is a serious offense, which will not be tolerated in the City of Berkeley.”
Source: CBS San Francisco
Also Read: Oregon Holocaust Memorial defaced with anti-Semitic symbols
