A memorial wall in Golders Green, north London, once used to display photos of Israeli hostages that were held in Gaza and later adopted by Iranian exiles to honor victims of Tehran’s regime, was set on fire Monday in a suspected arson attack now being investigated by counterterror police.
3 View gallery
The memorial wall that was torched displaying photos of Israeli hostages
(Photo: Feldman)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing, saying, “The antisemitic attack in Golders Green is utterly appalling. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”
The memorial wall stands on Limes Avenue, close to the site of Wednesday’s stabbing. Community security group Shomrim said a suspect was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public. The group said its volunteers detained the suspect before police arrested him using a stun gun.
The stabbing attack in London
For months, the wall had served as a public place of remembrance and solidarity. It first carried images of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. After their return, Iranian exiles living in Britain began using the site to commemorate Iranians killed while protesting against the Islamic Republic.
Many in Britain’s Persian exile community have expressed solidarity with Israelis, seeing their struggle against the Iranian regime as tied to Israel’s confrontation with Tehran and its proxies. A memorial corner for victims of the Nova music festival massacre was also left in place.
Police said the suspected arson took place at around 12:15 a.m. Monday and was reported later that evening, shortly before 7:30 p.m. The wall itself was not damaged, and no arrests have been made.
The Metropolitan Police said counterterror officers were leading the investigation, though the incident is not currently being treated as a terror attack.
“We recognize that this incident will heighten concerns in the Golders Green area, where residents have already faced a series of attacks,” Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said. “We are working closely with community organizations and leaders, and want to reassure them that our protective security operation continues.”
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the group was “deeply concerned” by the attack and voiced solidarity with Britain’s Persian community.
“Our country and our communities are under attack, potentially by a foreign state,” Rosenberg wrote on social media. “We are grateful to the police and politicians for their support, but a new muscularity is needed to confront and defeat this shared challenge.”
The suspected arson is the latest in a series of attacks rattling Jewish communities across the capital. In March, four people were charged over an alleged arson attack on ambulances run by a Jewish charity. Last week, a 17-year-old pleaded guilty to arson after an attack on a synagogue in Harrow, northwest London. On April 15, police also reported an attempted arson at a synagogue in nearby Finchley.
Police said Tuesday that two men arrested after a non-hazardous powder was found near the Israeli Embassy in Kensington Gardens on April 17 had been released. A 39-year-old man arrested under the Terrorism Act in Ealing was released without charge, while a 37-year-old man arrested in Devon on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts was bailed until July.