Attacks against the Jewish community in Britain are “gaining momentum,” the UK’s chief rabbi warned Sunday, following another suspected arson incident, this time at a synagogue in north-west London.
Over the weekend, Jewish-owned businesses in the Hendon area, which has a relatively large Jewish population, were also set on fire. British police said they are investigating whether a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in London may have been carried out by agents linked to Iran.
In the latest incident, which occurred Saturday night at a synagogue in Kenton in the Harrow borough, minor smoke damage was reported inside the building. No injuries or significant structural damage were recorded.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis wrote on X that attacks on the Jewish community are intensifying.
“Last night yet another synagogue, this time in Kenton, was targeted in a cowardly arson attack. It follows the attack in Finchley on Wednesday and the attempted attack on what was the Jewish Futures building in Hendon on Friday night, making three Jewish sites attacked in London in less than a week.”
“A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum. This sustained attack on our community’s ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together. Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked” by the attacks and vowed that “those responsible will be found and brought to justice.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said it has increased its presence in the affected areas. Officers in uniform and plainclothes have been deployed across north-west London following recent attacks on synagogues, ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, and a Persian-language media organization critical of the Iranian government.
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A police officer speaks with a civilian near the synagogue
(Photo: Justin Tallis/ AFP)
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Police officers near a synagogue that was the target of an attempted arson
(Photo: Justin Tallis/ AFP)
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, thanked police and emergency services for their swift response and ongoing efforts to protect the Jewish community.
“We are assisting the affected site and working closely with police as they investigate and seek to identify those responsible,” the organization said.
Earlier, London’s counterterrorism unit announced it is leading the investigation into an antisemitic hate crime in Hendon, after attempted arson attacks on Jewish-owned businesses on Friday night. Last week, there was also an attempted arson at a synagogue in Finchley. Police have not yet confirmed whether the incidents are linked.
At the same time, a group calling itself “Ashab al-Yamin” claimed responsibility for one of the attacks, releasing footage that appears to show an individual igniting a bag outside a building. The group also claimed involvement in a drone incident targeting the Israeli Embassy earlier that day, and said it was behind six incidents since the beginning of April.