"We are witnessing a social tragedy in the making. Children are being divided into ethno-religious identity groups and turned against one another."

The London I grew up in is slipping away: Now Bethnal Green schoolchildren
are chanting anti-Semitic slogans – and no one seems to care.

"London's East End has never been perfect. But people have been making it their home for centuries, often after fleeing hate and persecution elsewhere. At various points in time, Protestants, Jews and Muslims all found sanctuary within earshot of the stately peal of Bow Bells.
    "How sad then that ancient anti-Semitic hatreds are being heard in today’s East End – and from the mouths of children, too. Last Thursday in Bethnal Green, the schoolkids chanted the same sectarian slogans to which we have become grimly accustomed over recent weeks – in particular, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’.
    "This chant is a thinly veiled call for Jewish genocide. It is an insult to intelligence and morality to suggest otherwise. So why aren’t people more outraged about young people chanting it in our streets? ...
    "We are witnessing a social tragedy in the making. Children are being divided into ethno-religious identity groups and turned against one another. Chanting slogans like ‘From the river to the sea’ makes it less likely that those kids in Bethnal Green will ever befriend a Jew, let alone beg their parents to visit a Jewish bakery after church or mosque. Children’s tender arteries are being turned into tributaries of hate.
    "What is happening in London cannot be laid solely at the feet of the anti-Israel protest movement. The poison of identitarianism must assume the bulk of the blame for the cultural dismemberment of society. ... We are confronted with a choice right now. We can continue pushing children into silos of racial and religious hatred. Or we can start forging a society free of identity politics which aims to bring people of all backgrounds together. I know which path the London of my childhood would choose."

~ Ike Ijeh, from his post 'The London I grew up in is slipping away'