KEY POINTS

  • Vandals penned sickening messages across Manhattan train service.
  • Commuters used hand sanitisers to scrub antisemitic words off surfaces.
  • Fellow passenger claimed attack was result of Trump's election as president.

Vile antisemitic comments were scrawled all over a New York train service on Saturday night (4 February).

Commuters were appalled to find the words "Jews belong in the oven" had been penned onto maps and adverts while Swastikas were found on every window.

One commuters described how passengers were stunned into silence after noticing the remarks and Nazi symbolism and were "unsure what to do".

A male commuter suggested hand sanitizer would remove the ink sparking a clean-up operation from those on the train.

According to Diaspora Affairs Ministry, antisemitism in the US spiked last year with 2.6 million tweets including antisemitic language.

It said abuse got worse the as news coverage of the presidential campaign increased with Twitter accounts of some 50,000 journalists becoming littered with approximately 20,000 antisemitic tweets directed at them.

Manhattan antisemitism
Commuters came together to remove antisemitic messages from a Manhattan train network Gregory Locke

Members of the Jewish community were incensed at reports president Trump reportedly blocked an International Holocaust Remembrance Day statement that mentioned Jewish victims of Nazi killings, the politico website claimed.

However, when Trump came to make his speech he used the words "victims, survivors" and "those who died", but made no mention of "Jewish" victims.

Facebook post in full

"I got on the subway in Manhattan tonight and found a Swastika on every advertisement and every window. The train was silent as everyone stared at each other, uncomfortable and unsure what to do. One guy got up and said, 'Hand sanitizer gets rid of Sharpie. We need alcohol.' He found some tissues and got to work.

"I've never seen so many people simultaneously reach into their bags and pockets looking for tissues and Purel. Within about two minutes, all the Nazi symbolism was gone. Nazi symbolism. On a public train. In New York City. In 2017. I guess this is Trump's America," said one passenger. No sir, it's not. Not tonight and not ever. Not as long as stubborn New Yorkers have anything to say about it.

Source: Gregory Locke