A 14-year-old student with Asperger syndrome says he was physically attacked for being Jewish following a history class on World War II’s Holocaust.
Matthew Lough told his mother Sharon that bullies set upon him. Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, his mother said Matthew had revealed during the history lesson that his maternal great-great-grandmother was Jewish.
She said, “It started last year with the swastikas drawn on his books, he was called ‘Jew boy’ and one fellow pupil even told Matthew: ‘It’s a pity that the gas chambers were not still open so we could deal with you.’ This was before the physical assault.”
Carrickfergus College, whose motto is “Developing and Empowering Young People for Life”, is a secondary school on the outskirts of the town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim.
The harassment against Matthew allegedly continued until Easter this year.
Sharon said, “Because Matthew had reported the verbal abuse and the bullying, one boy took exception to this and during an attack on my son he kicked him in the head. Matthew later came home and started to complain of headaches. By this stage there was the lump the size of an egg on his head and my husband got very worried. When we eventually got Matthew checked out in A&E we were told that he had concussion from the kick.”
Speaking to the BBC, Matthew said that the bullies had attached swastikas to his school bag and called him anti-Semitic names.
He said, “It kind of annoyed me and upset me but the real truck was when I was attacked in the woods during an orienteering exercise in PE. The guy was suspended for five days. This year, it was a guy who was singing a song about how Hitler had gassed 6.5 million Jews, all happy and do-lallies.”
The name-calling had continued, despite the suspension of two students, according to his mother.
She said, “We encourage Matthew to live, as much as he can. Aspergers does not change who he has ever been. We don’t want him to be considered as a special case. He is a very intelligent child and very loving and very caring about people around him.”
The BBC reported that these anti-Semitic attacks are now being investigated by the police. The North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) said it had been assured by the school that they had fully and properly followed board regulations for regarding the suspension of pupils.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Starlet | Sep 15, 2012, 01:57 AM EDT
People with Aspergers are often clumsy. A person with Asperger’s may struggle with sports, or other activities that require coordination. Now, they picked on the little boy while hiking. For someone with Asperger's that is could be a rather difficult task. To me that makes the kids Bullies first and foremost. Someone Jewish in Ireland is a rarity, too. East target! Double whammy for bullies. I'm wondering what extent these bullies are anti-semitic or just being bullies? As to Brolaur, Israel the country and all Jews have the right to defend themselves ESPECIALLY because of their past.
Brolaur | Sep 13, 2012, 03:11 PM EDT
Maybe now Israelis will understand how the Palestinians feel. If people were allowed to discuss the Holocaust in public we all might feel a bit more enlightened. We live in a democracy so we should be able to speak our minds. Of course what happened to this boy is reprehensible! So is the situation in Palestine
bart martin | Sep 12, 2012, 01:34 PM EDT
The Ishould remember how much hate and discrimiation they have experienced in the U.S and England. Is it a remnant of the Irish who supported Hitler or some extreme Catholic or Protestant anti semiticism that leads to this behaviour.The guity students should be expelled and imprisoned and talked to away from their peers .Deprogrammed if you like..This is a crime against the civic society and MUST be treated very seriously.This is a horrible reflection on at least a part of the Irish society. Very serious indeed!
mookergee | Jun 29, 2012, 04:39 PM EDT
How pathetic,less than 1 thousand jews in northern Ireland and the anti-Semitism is still there. whats up with you guys?? whats next, you'll blame your financial disaster on this family.
allan07 | May 05, 2012, 04:36 AM EDT
@VonLiebenitz QUOTE "The republic of Ireland is not anti-jewish in any way. WE dont have hangups about minorities that England, the EU and America has." UNQUOTE. How wrong can you be with that false statement? Firstly the Republic of Ireland has the Roman Catholic Church as the offical Church in Ireland. The recent property taxes do not apply to the clergy of the RC Church. Why not? Isn't that discrimination against other religions such as the jewish religion? In 1922 about 10% of the Republic of Ireland was protestant today its about 3%. The ROI has been ethnically cleansed over time. Isn't that discrimination? The Irish (I am born and bred in Northern Ireland) are full of hatred for black people. What percentage of the Republic of Ireland is of coloured race? A tiny percentage compared to UK or the US. In recent times I have experienced racism against European citizens such at the Polish. What is more surprising is the Irish are unable to provide for their own people and move to the Great Britain, EU or the US whilst at the same time condemning EU citizens for seeking employment in Ireland. Its a typical example of wanting their cake and eating it. I do condemn any race motivated attacks on the Jewish people here in Northern Ireland but this i hope is just one case. May it be the only case. I hope. It has happened and its wrong. The Irish Central newspaper always highlights wrongdoing here in Northern Ireland because it is itself anti protestant. Well I dont believe it has ever employed any protestant people from Northern Ireland. Typical bigots and again attacking the protestant people. Well i expect nothing less from Republicans. The author is probably an hypen so called Irish-American whom has never set foot in Northern Ireland. We will be taking any lessons from them.
IrelandNorth | May 01, 2012, 08:58 AM EDT
No characteristic knee-jerkery from Bythebay to remind us that Northern Ireland is a different country from Ireland proper - perhaps because the story paints NI in negative light. Was young Matthew taught about the Irish holocause called the Famine. Or is this a case of competing persecutionisms?
merefalow | Apr 30, 2012, 06:58 PM EDT
hateful unbelievable evil.young people did not learn this from books,they learnt it from parents.bullying is the province of the ignorant and the cowardly,to teach such hatred is beyond contempt.whoever it is directed to.for any organisation to preach it,says all you need to know about it.how could teachers allow this young boy to be so abused,contemptible men.
pilib04 | Apr 28, 2012, 01:26 PM EDT
Little wonder that an incident could happen among children who are raised to hate Catholics for the sole reason that they are Catholics. Doesn't take much to transfer that hatred to Jews or Poles. Happens all the time in Northern Ireland. This hatred is encouraged by the single largest quasi-religious/fraternal organization, the Orange Order. But the most upsetting news from this incident was that the school administrators did nothing until they were confronted by the boy's mother. They are the true culprits, them and their OO masters.
pilib04 | Apr 28, 2012, 01:22 PM EDT
Springfield9, are you a student of Jewish law? Your comment is in error. It is up to the Beit Din to make the final determination, however, if the mother is Jewish then the child is Jewish. The Beit Din usually accepts birth records. If the child has birth records tracing maternal lineage, then he would definitely be Jewish. Again, final decision is the Beit Din, not you or I. None of this has anything to do with the Nuremburg Race Laws.
GeorgeDillon | Apr 28, 2012, 12:25 PM EDT
milestogo:" The EU,Governments and churches need to move quickly to educate and persuade the locals of the benefits of immigration". Immigration has nothing to do with the case above--it's just bigotry by young Loyalists. Of course these loyalists are in Ireland because of Mass Immigration 300 years ago. Is this what you mean by the "benefits" of Mass Immigration?
Springfield9 | Apr 28, 2012, 09:52 AM EDT
"Jewish" Northern Irish boy is an empty headline. 4 generations ago there was a Jewish mother in his family - that does not make him "Jewish" unles you are still operating under the Nuremberg Race Laws.
Collette2 | Apr 28, 2012, 03:02 AM EDT
Hats off to all the comments who speak for the majority, Ireland is no differnt to anywhere else I'm sure. To the dungeons with parents setting a bad example and make room for teachers who can't get their message across properly. Not a catholic school surely.
VonLiebenitz | Apr 28, 2012, 02:26 AM EDT
Northren Ireland and Ireland are two different countries for a start.Secondly the rebublic of ireland or Ireland proper is not ani jewish in anyway.We dont have the same hangups about minorities that England the EU and America has.While their may be an anti Zionist bias it is in an small minority. Irish people for better or worse are the most unpolitical race on the planet.As for the Zionism thing well Mossad did use 6 I stolen Irish passports to carry out a terrorist attack and Isreal never apologised or aknowledged in any real way.We all know Isreal doesnt respect other countries borders or soveriengty unless it is forced to do so.Irish people cuurently are the most dumbed down cowed slaves on the planet.Something whiich i hope will change this spring summmer with the grassroots resistance against various nefarious and unjust taxes like the housing charge and the proposed metering of water.Water ffs?haha.In ireland of all places?Absurd.Much like the Irish and their Goombean government.
pilib04 | Apr 27, 2012, 08:24 PM EDT
Celticqueen, these are not "bratty" children, these are loyalist children who have been raised to HATE.
pilib04 | Apr 27, 2012, 08:24 PM EDT
No surprise to me. Carrickfergus has a beautiful name. Try spending time there during the marching season. Not so nice. Rightwingers are the same whether they hate Catholics or Jews or immigrants.
milestogo | Apr 27, 2012, 06:06 PM EDT
It is an all Ireland problem,which seems to transcend tribal differences. Irish Unionists and Nationalists seem to have a very strong racist streak.I can see major difficulties later as non white immigrants are attacked and discriminated against and I fear that it will be very difficult to support further immigrants against racist hooligans. The EU,Governments and churches need to move quickly to educate and persuade the locals of the benefits of immigration.
aloistmartin | Apr 27, 2012, 04:47 PM EDT
People who push their Shoes between Doors, shouldn`t be Surprised when they get them Slammed On! Using "Human Rights" as a Means of Passive Sociopolitical Militancy; Makes One just another Sectarian Rival, not a Holy Christian Martyr !
christilcaugh | Apr 27, 2012, 02:51 PM EDT
What is so terribly awful today is after WWII and all that we know that people have still not come to the understanding that this kind of discrimination or ANY kind is wrong and there is no excuse for this from the children, or the parents who taught these children that this even might be right. I am appalled at what happened.
Skibberrean | Apr 27, 2012, 01:39 PM EDT
SHAME ON THE SCHOOL, THE TEACHERS, THE CHILDREN WHO BULLIED THIS CHILD AND THE PARENTS WHO REALLY NEED TO TAKE THE TIME TO EXPLAIN....."THEIR BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, GO I"
markjmills | Apr 27, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT
How can anyone pretend to be surprised? Bullying like this is a direct expression of the fact that Ireland is one of the most anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli countries in Europe, politically and socially. It's enormously hypocritical to feign shock when school-children reflect the hostile attitudes and behaviors of their parents and leaders.
Letterbrick | Apr 27, 2012, 11:27 AM EDT
What kind of teacher would let this sort of thing go on. The teacher should put the Holocaust into a perspective these little brats can understand. Instead of it being Jews that were put to death, make it the Irish from Northern Ireland. Make these kids see how it would affect them if it happened now and happened to them. The Holocaust is happened and these children should be made to understand it.
jamieLM | Apr 27, 2012, 10:33 AM EDT
@Skylar5, it is discouraging. With all the awareness about bullying, the talk about how to stop the bullying, and the tragic deaths of children who have already committed suicide, we still have this kind of thing going on. It's like being back at Square One. It's sad, shameful, and disgusting to see kids with no empathy for others and adults who do little or nothing to prevent and stop the bullying. Btw: kids should know that many thousands of civilian Catholics were killed by the Nazis, not to mention all the Catholic soldiers who died protecting their countries from Hitler and his Nazi thugs. Plenty of dead German Catholic soldiers, too.
CelticQueenUSA | Apr 27, 2012, 10:15 AM EDT
This is absolutely disgusting that these bratty children are able to bully this boy. His lineage has him sharing are very dark part of history and instead of being tortured again, he should be commended for sharing that history of his ancestry. It is a shame the other children are to ignorant that they do not realize the gift he gave when he opened his history to them. This was his great-great grandparents for God's sake killed by another Bully in history - Hitler. This treatment of an intelligent little boy is very sickening to me. SHAME SHAME
Skylar5 | Apr 27, 2012, 09:39 AM EDT
Stories such as this make it difficult for me to have any faith in humanity. It's so disheartening. I believe there is more goodness than evil in the world but, then again, I'm not so sure.