Two teenage girls have been arrested as part of a police investigation into a vehemently anti-Semitic Facebook group exposed last week by the Jewish News.The group, which attracted more than 500 members, featured scores of offensive remarks from youths and even saw teenagers boasting about engaging in anti-Semitic behaviour.
Created by a pupil at Loxford School of Science and Technology in Ilford, the group was described by a Community Security Trust official as "one of the most shocking things I have ever seen".This week police confirmed arrests had been made. A spokesperson said: "A 16-year-old girl was arrested in connection with the investigation. The following day a second girl, aged 17, was also arrested. Both were taken into custody at an east London police station and later bailed to a date in mid-March pending further inquiries."
The group featured messages from youths using language rife with spelling errors, profanities and teenage colloquialisms. One girl wrote: "Jews are the ones that killed prophets in the past. Dirty filthy scum-bags. No wonder they have the curse of Allah upon them. Burn Jew burn."
News of the arrests came as MPs from across the political spectrum signed a parliamentary motion prompted by last week's Jewish News front page story.
Tabled by Hendon MP Andrew Dismore, it "calls on the Secretaries of State for Children, Schools and Families and Business, Innovation and Skills to investigate these incidents and the use of Facebook generally to promote messages of hate, and to then report back to Parliament on their conclusions".
The early day motion, which also congratulates the Jewish News on its online investigation, has so far been signed by Conservative Lee Scott, Liberal Democrat Evan Harris and Labour's Louise Ellman, Andrew Love and Virendra Kumar Sharma. Speaking to the Jewish News, Dismore joined the CST in welcoming the police probe.
The offending group, which had been online for two weeks, was removed by Facebook after the school contacted the popular social networking site and the police. The Jewish News was informed about the group by a private investigator in Australia
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