Posted on 07/01/2013 6:28:13 AM PDT by Olog-hai
A Jewish student from Kansas was denied entry into Britain for a summer job several weeks ago—apparently due to a customs agent’s anti-Semitism.
After being detained for more than nine hours, he was put back on a plane to the United States by customs officials. During that time he was never told why he was being denied entry.
According to the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, the British man who had offered Louis “Chip” Cantor summer work experience, Kevin Shilling, said the British border agent he spoke to in his attempt to get Cantor admitted into Britian made more than one anti-Semitic comment to him during the telephone conversation they had. …
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
Quite a few. Never been a problem when entering the UK. Does create problems in the Middle East, but the UK isn't the Middle East.
Just because you never had a problem does not mean that there are not bad apples infiltrating the system now.
Well, the source of the story is the guy's dad.
“I’m really so sorry for Chip and the way he was treated. I want to reassure all your readers that if they plan a visit to the U.K., once they get past the U.K. Border Agency they will find friendly, welcoming people, without prejudice.”
It actually *used* to be that way in the U.K.
Not anymore.
The U.K. is now a terrible nest of antisemitism, along with several other EU countries. The people have become extremely bigoted and prejudicial, while all the time mouthing inane pleasantries.
In 1846, the British law “De Judaismo”, which prescribed a special dress for Jews, was repealed. This was the last major example of government sponsored antisemitism in England.
However, the smoldering hated for Jews by the British public has long been there. It has quietly been exacerbated by the British attraction for Arabs since around World War I.
After World War II, antisemitism manifested itself in the British abuse of Jews in Palestine, until the Jews rather violently encourage the British to back off. There was still some Jewish-sympathetic Brits that balanced the antisemitic ones.
Modern British antisemitism has slowly gained strength in recent years, both paralleling and transcending the antisemitism of the American left. So this event may be seen in future as a turning point, when British antisemitism came out of the closet as not just anti-Israeli, but anti-Jewish.
Ironic, I suppose, that so many other EU countries are also becoming more antisemitic at the same time.
Michael Savage tried that and it doesn’t work. The anti-semitism through out all of Europe and the Middle East (heck even here in the US) is as virulent as it ever was.
And what would the US embassy have done? After all just ask Chris Stevens and all those brave men in Benghazi just how effective the State Department is
exactly correct
You couldn’t be harassed for being Jewish since unless you carry and Israeli passport there is no indication of one’s religion on a US passport. Your argument is invalid UNLESS you have multiple Israel stamps of entry in your passport. You cannot get into Egypt if you have Israeli stamps (from personal experience). In the 80s I had a hard time getting into France with legitimate visa, current passport, lots of documentation for a one week work destination (doing field service), and loops prior recent trips to Israel.
You do not know what you are talking about
Oh you are so wrong there
Mr. Cantor may not have realized that being honest and ticking the "Visiting for Employment" box on his landing card would open up a Pandora's Box of questions. When you're in the grasp of Customs they can pretty much do whatever they like with you and "attitude" (not assuming but it's possible Mr. Cantor put on the "Hey, I'm an American citizen!" face. Not good when they have you by the short hairs) makes it worse. And his employer probably didn't take care to either caution him against that or go through the agonizing paperwork to obtain a work permit for him. Far easier to hire someone from the EU or a Commonwealth country than an American.
There are two sides to this discussion,both of which could make plausible points.There's your view...they were afraid he was intending to work.You're correct in stating that most countries,including advanced ones like Britain,are very sensitive on that score.OTOH,they may fear (most likely without justification) that he's some sort of Zionist whackjob intending to bring the country's 90 million moslems to a hard boil.I'm an Irish citizen (but not Jewish) and when I enter the UK with my Irish passport (coming directly from the US,not from Ireland) I get some pretty curious looks.But I suppose that could be because I sound more like Ed Koch than your typical Mick.
Two brief vignettes.
#1. Back in 2002, my wife and I go to London for some sightseeing and to drink their beer. Midweek, we decide to go to Brussels via the bullet train. Arrive early morning and catch the train to Brussels and arrive mid morning... 10:30ish. Stay for shopping and dining... and more shopping. Back to Rue de Midi for the bullet train for the return trip to London. Brief stops along the way causing short delays but arrive back in London late in the evening. Gathering our belongings... we are some of the last to leave the train... and I realize that I failed to complete the “Reentry” form for Customs. As we approach the Customs official (never seen him in my life) I request from him a pen to complete the form. He states to me “Thats OK Mr. and Mrs.XXXXXXX, you’re free to enter”.
#2 Went on a fishing trip to Vancouver Island with friends. A friend and I flew to Seattle to meet another friend and drive, in his truck, to Vancouver, BC to catch a flight to the island. As we are in line to enter Canada it is us 3 in the front seat of his standard cab truck. We finally pull up to the Customs window to present our passports and the official immediately points to my friend, sitting in the middle, and says that he needs to report inside the building and will need to answer some questions.
The point: The government knows who you are. Mr. Cantor has a checkered past.
Checkered past compared to people like, say, the Tsarnayevs?
Wasn’t the mother living in Toronto? ;0}
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
“I am Jewish and I fly to the UK all the time.”
But do you have Israeli stamps in your passport?
Yes. Which is why this story, while not 100% impossible, seems a bit suspect.
I'm wrong? You're saying Jews are regularly turned away at British immigration? Maybe during the reign of King John, but Britain's had a large and vibrant Jewish population for the last few hundred years, and there are regular and direct flights to Israel w/out any incidents that I'm aware of.
I do have multiple Israeli stamps in my passport; also I know a lot of people who are Israelis who fly to the UK regularly (even weekly) without incident. This story makes little sense. But don’t let that from trusting some random newspaper in Kansas City over basic common sense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.