It is no secret that Ireland has become one of the most antisemitic cesspools on the planet.
Which is why an Israeli TV channel decided to film a documentary about antisemitism in Europe and ended up in Ireland.
And they filmed some antisemitism alright – just perhaps not in the way they might have thought.
A crew from i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel was attacked over the weekend in Belfast, Northern Ireland, while filming for a documentary series on Europe’s rising antisemitism.
The incident happened while i24NEWS reporter Yonatan Raveh and cameraman Nadav Abbas were conducting street interviews near a well-known bar complex. Raveh told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that he believed the attacker, a man, had overheard them telling two Irish interviewees that they were from Israel.
“He came over to us and started asking questions. We put the camera on him, and then he gave us the middle finger and shouted: “f*** Israel.”
“We were not looking for any trouble; we were trying to be as peaceful as we can get, and we just walked away. But he started to follow us.”
"פאק ישראל!": צוות i24NEWS הותקף בצפון אירלנד בעת צילום סדרת כתבות על אנטישמיות, התוקף השליך כוס בירה לעבר הצוות לאחר שגילה שהם מישראל@yonatanraveh11 https://t.co/okRXEdNYbw pic.twitter.com/orP08FgAvE
— i24NEWS (@i24NEWS_HE) August 16, 2026—
As it was their last day in Northern Ireland, the crew decided to return to Israel so Abbas could receive medical treatment there instead.
While this was the first physical assault the crew suffered in Northern Ireland, Raveh told the Post that there were numerous verbal altercations, curses and slurs prior to that.
This is definitely not doing anything to dispel the stereotype of Irish as antisemites. Nor the stereotype of Irish as drunk thugs.
Of course, I know not all Irish people are like this. You can even see it in the video, with the ginger bartender tending to the Israeli’s injuries. And the victim of the assault himself pretty much confirms it:
Reflecting on what he saw in the country, Raveh said there is a “big divide,” especially in Belfast, when it comes to views on Israel.
“In the specific case of Belfast, the city is kind of divided; it’s like two tribes inside the same city. The Irish Catholics were very anti-Israel, very pro-Palestinian, and the Protestants were pro-Israel.
And I count among my friends some very pro-Israel, philosemitic Irish people.
So yeah, I understand reality is not as simplistic as it might seem if you just pay attention to the news and online voices.
Still, it won’t stop me from responding to the antisemitic ones the way I know how.
Still, acknowledging that reality is more complicated does not mean pretending the problem is imaginary like a leprachaun. When an Israeli television crew travels to Belfast to document rising antisemitism and is met with “f*** Israel,” a pursuit down the street, and a beer-mug attack on the cameraman, the irony is difficult to miss.
