A suspended tube driver who led an anti-Israel ‘free Palestine’ chant on an underground train has issued an apology, as anti-semitisim campaigners demand he gets the sack.
In footage posted online, the driver can be heard saying ‘free free’ eight times over the train’s speaker system, prompting passengers to respond with ‘Palestine’ – which is a popular chant at demonstrations.
Many of the passengers travelling on the Central line are believed to have been heading to an an anti-Israel march in London on October 21, when the chant took place.
The driver told passengers: ‘So, as I feel part of it, kindly join me as we proceed to Bond Street,’ before urging for the passengers’ responses to be ‘louder, please, louder!’
The incident has sparked fury amongst Jewish campaigners who have demanded that the unidentified driver be laid off for his ‘grossly unprofessional’ behavior.
British Transport Police detectives launched a probe following public outcry over the chant, resulting in Transport for London to suspend the driver.
In an apology letter which has been passed on to Jewish groups by TfL, the driver said: ‘I would like to express my apology for the effect that my actions has on my customers and the wider community that day.
‘It was never my intention to make anybody feel uncomfortable and i give you my unreserved apology for any offence that may have been caused.
‘I’m committed to learning from this experience’.
But the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism have felt the apology does not go far enough, branding the incident a ‘disgrace to TfL’.
Pro-Palastine Demonstrations have been marred in controversy with some protesters holding vile signs with the Nazi symbol and photos of Hitler. Numerous arrests have taken place against those accused of holding offensive signs.
In footage posted online, the driver can be heard saying ‘free free’ eight times over the train’s speaker system, prompting passengers to respond with ‘Palestine’
Responding to the apology letter, the campaign group told The Sun: ‘His conduct was grossly unprofessional.
‘Imagine being a Jewish person that train, not only intimidated by demonstrators around you, but also in the knowledge that you might not be able to rely on the very TfL staff tasked with your safety.
This incident was a disgrace to TfL, and coming at a time of heightened tension, it was downright dangerous’.
Conservative candidate for London mayor Susan Hall also supported calls for the driver to be sacked for his ‘outrageous’ behaviour.
But the apology was accepted by Andrew Gilbert, from the London Jewish Forum, who said the letter showed ‘genuine remorse,’ adding that he was ‘very satisfied’ with the way British transport Police and TfL handled the situation.
Antisemitic hate crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police in the wake of Hamas’s October attack on Israel have soared to more than 13 times the number for the same period in 2022, new figures have revealed.
Many of the passengers travelling on the Central line are believed to have been heading to an an anti-Israel march in London on October 21, when the chant took place
A total of 679 antisemitic offences were recorded by the force from October 7 to November 7 2023 inclusive, compared with 50 in the equivalent period the previous year and 81 in 2021.
Hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators descended on Barclays’ branches across the UK yesterday to protest its alleged funding of Israel’s attacks.
Demonstrators have organised a ‘day of action’ where they will protest outside 54 branches of the bank, demanding an end to what they claim is Barclays ‘bankrolling’ Israel’s attacks on Palestine.