James Cleverly, the British Secretary of State for the Home Department, has ordered an investigation after a Jewish family received a birth certificate with a tear in it and the father’s birthplace, Israel, crossed out.
Yisrael, the father of the family, stated that he wanted his family’s identities to remain private. He claimed that his wife Doreen did not believe in the British authorities after they received the birth certificate for their new daughter Roni.
“She found it was ripped halfway through and my place of birth - which was Israel - had been scribbled out with a pen,” he recounted.
“We felt as if we had been taken back to 1930’s Germany where the Nazis would put notes on Jewish people’s documentation,’ he added. ‘’It is completely warped and it hurts my heart that my daughter is not even six months old and she has already been discriminated against in the worst way."
The family has called for the Home Office to apologize, saying that the document is invalid due to damage. The father added that he hopes the incident is isolated and not part of a larger pattern.
Cleverly tweeted: “I have asked my officials to investigate this urgently and we will see that appropriate action is taken.” The Home Office stated that they would not be commenting beyond Cleverly's message.