Group exchanging Hannukah greetings on subway beaten

[Bluebear]

NEW YORK (AP) — A group of people exchanging holiday greetings on a subway last week hurled anti-Semitic slurs and beat four Jewish riders who had wished them "Happy Hanukkah," authorities said Tuesday.

The prosecutor's office was investigating the Friday night incident as a possible hate crime.

The four Jewish riders were on a train in lower Manhattan during the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights when they were approached by a group of 10 people who offered holiday greetings.

When they wished the group "Happy Hanukkah," they were assaulted, police said. Police caught up with the train one stop later in Brooklyn and arrested eight men and two women, ages 19 and 20....

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iWCJyvT0BKYliSAruZ1wUdCJlp8QD8TFI1L82

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. They were robbing them

The friendly subway come on is often the prelude to a robbery.

[rockymountaindem]

2. Just because that dude's mom is/was Jewish isn't indicative of anything

Plenty of self-hating Jews (if in fact that's the case here) have gone on to become full-fledged anti-Semites.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. I don't want people to think that there are groups of subway

well-wishers who heard "Happy Hannukah" and attacked for that reason. It's absurd. This group of ten 19 and 20 year-olds weren't on a well-wishing subway ride; they approached "the four yutes" with every intention of robbing and harassing them. This is how stuff works in New York. Now, does that mean that they're not anti-Semites? No. They likely are. But that's not why the four guys caught a beating. Or, it was just gravy.

[NMMNG]

4. And the fundies whine about the "War on Christmas"

At least nobody beats the crap out of them for wishing people a Merry Christmas.