Woman cuts down hostages yellow ribbons in North London

Yes it was shown in mainland Europe.

To be perfectly honest, I am not in the least bit surprised.

It’s a petty gesture and yes, despicable, but “depths to which these evil people will sink” , I’m not so sure. The lines between condemnation of Hamas and condemnation of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians are increasingly blurred.
Feelings run high on both sides for very good reasons and many of us may feel like I, how the whole dreadful business shows how two wrongs never made a right.

RosieandherMaw

It’s a petty gesture and yes, despicable, but “depths to which these evil people will sink” , I’m not so sure. The lines between condemnation of Hamas and condemnation of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians are increasingly blurred.
Feelings run high on both sides for very good reasons and many of us may feel like I, how the whole dreadful business shows how two wrongs never made a right.

Can't have it both ways Rosie. We're constantly being reminded here that condemnation of the Israeli government does not mean condemnation of Jews per se.

So how does this show condemnation of the Israeli government? It doesn't, all it does is cause massive upset to the families of the hostages, the Jewish community and I'm sure many outside of the Jewish community. Because it directly affects Jews - not the Israeli government.

It says more about the intellect (i.e., lack of) of the perpetrator than it does the Israeli cabinet.

I think she must have been misguided in her belief that the yellow ribbons are to do with the war. They relate only to the hostages, and that alone.

GrannyGravy13
Just as a quick aside ...... when you're in a
foreign country for a period of time, and following news regularly from home, doesn't it really make you see some of your fellow citizens objectively in a very different light?

It was a very mean spirited thing to do. Those, mostly young people, were innocents caught up in a brutal attack. How can anyone not have empathy for them and their families.

Thinking back since the horrific Hamas attack two years ago, this is not the first time hostage commemorative yellow ribbons have been cut/taken down, and I doubt it will be the last.

Hopefully the hostages will be home soon and there will no longer be a need for ribbons…

escaped yes 👍

I think you have described my feelings very well Rosiesmaw.

Nasty acts like this just fuel the flames of hate and lead to suffering.

The young girl struck me as very sure of her actions and her concern for genocide but I am not sure she considered the hurt she caused by cutting down the ribbons.
I don’t agree with her that she wasn’t doing anything wrong as it was a clear hate crime. It also didn’t save one Palestinian life. I hope she is found and prosecuted.

AGAA4

It was a very mean spirited thing to do. Those, mostly young people, were innocents caught up in a brutal attack. How can anyone not have empathy for them and their families.

Exactly.

A very confident (cocky?) young lady, shoulder bag in Palestinian colours just said to bystanders who challenged her “call the police if you want. I’m not breaking the law.”

She's been identified. The irony that she is an arts and "humanities" researcher.

ronib

The young girl struck me as very sure of her actions and her concern for genocide but I am not sure she considered the hurt she caused by cutting down the ribbons.
I don’t agree with her that she wasn’t doing anything wrong as it was a clear hate crime. It also didn’t save one Palestinian life. I hope she is found and prosecuted.

Frankly, I think she needs to be educated, not punished, and educated by those who are older and wiser who wish to see the current Israeli regime gone but like myself see the utter pointlessness and wrongness in what she did..

Punishment will just make her a martyr in her own mind and those who are as extreme as her. So do we gain by punishing her?

Isnt it better to practice "do as you would be done by?"

If we go for punishment we are just furthering divisions, not healing them, which overall is the only way forward to produce benign results on the larger scale.

That’s no surprise then. Lack of humanity more like?

So often from the young, FGT.

They haven't lived our long lives and seen enough suffering of all kinds, personal and political, to know - whatever our POV - that life is not solved by cutting ribbons spitefully, but engaging with people instead

A lack of decency, a lack of respect and humanity, a lack of empathy, a lack of compassion and a lack of a moral code.

She should be ashamed of her ignorance and needs educating. And prosecuting for carrying what could be used as a weapon in public, with intent of inciting unrest and damage.

There is nothing to choose between the two sides now. One was the victim of an provoked and heinous attack where many innocent young people died. the other side has set out on a policy of genocide and land acquisition that must make Putin want to employ all the Israeli generals.

All this is a war between two nations, and has nothing to do with majority of Jewish and Muslim people who have for generations lived in other countries, have citizenship in the country of their birth. Those who confuse the war between Israel and Palistine with belonging to the Muslim or Jewish faith are stupid and uneducated.

I agree with you, Wyllow.

I found this old BBC article about the signficance of the yellow ribbon. Most of all, it is about remembering people who are not here.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29521449

One should no more cut down a yellow ribbon than desecrate a grave.

I did see that someone else did this a year ago. A man cut down yellow ribbons on the Fortis Green Road in Muswell Hill to similar outrage.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

She's been identified. The irony that she is an arts and "humanities" researcher.

She obviously hasn't researched deeply enough. If she had, she would know what yellow ribbons symbolise (there is even a song about it, a prisoner of war arriving home). They were used when hostages were taken in Iran and they are a symbol of hope.

She's a very stupid woman and this was a deliberately provocative act designed to upset Jewish people, so yes, anti-semitic.

The film of her doing this is widely available - even in overseas media outlets so she can easily be identified.

She is a very confused and stupid young woman if she thinks the yellow ribbons are condoning genocide as she claims.

Disgusting behaviour. Could she be prosecuted for criminal damage?

I am not comfortable with the idea that this misguided woman is teaching. There should be some kind of accountability and fitness to practice? Not a safe pair of hands?

She has to know the meaning of the yellow ribbon, it's been used in so many situations before, I don't believe she doesn't. This was a deliberate and calculated anti-semitic act, causing hurt to the Jewish community and their non Jewish friends. I wonder what her reaction would be if the streamers in Palestinian colours linking trees and lampposts in Walthamstow were cut down because they "support the heinous attack of 7th October" I'd bet she wouldn't accept that.