Golders Green arson is a test of Britain's resolve to defend its values

When Jewish families lie awake wondering whether an ambulance outside might be targeted, something fundamental has gone wrong, writes Communities Secretary Steve Reed

The attack on four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green was not random vandalism. It was an attempt to frighten British Jews out of living openly and safely in their own country.

When arsonists enter a quiet residential neighbourhood in the early hours and torch clearly marked ambulances, they send a message of fear and division. Our job in government, and as a society is to confront that head-on. We will not give in to hatred and we stand together.

It’s why we have increased security funding, tightened policing powers around intimidation at places of worship, invested in tackling antisemitism in education and have taken new steps to face down extremism.

Events like this make us look not only at the harm but at what was attacked. Hatzola ambulances are run by Jewish volunteers who drop everything when an emergency comes in. They help people of every background and faith – Hatzola, as your readers will know, is Hebrew for ‘rescue’.

I visited this remarkable charity in happier times. Seeing their vehicles burnt out in a synagogue car park is heart-breaking and chilling. Targeting lifesaving equipment at a place of worship, when fears about antisemitism are already heightened, goes to the heart of what is unfolding in our country.

I visited this remarkable charity in happier times. Seeing their vehicles burnt out in a synagogue car park is heart-breaking and chilling

A fortnight ago, after setting out our new plan for strengthening social cohesion in Parliament, I visited the Community Security Trust to hear experiences first-hand. And late last year, I met Jewish families in the aftermath of the appalling attack on Heaton Park Synagogue that led to the deaths of two innocent men – Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby. We in government owe it to them, and all of you, to root out antisemitic hatred wherever it appears.

Damaged ambulances in Highfield Road, Golders Green, London, after an apparent arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service in London. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. Pic PA

That is the purpose of our new plan, Protecting What Matters. It will tighten how public bodies, charities, schools and universities deal with extremist groups; improve how we track and confront extremism across the country; and stop dangerous individuals spreading their ideas here in the UK.

At its heart is a simple belief: our country works only when we live by shared values – respect, fairness, and the willingness to stand up for one another. Antisemitic attacks tear at those values. When Jewish families in north London lie awake wondering whether an ambulance outside might be targeted, something fundamental has gone wrong.

Protecting What Matters is practical: stronger police powers to manage protests; further investment to tackle antisemitism in schools and colleges; and a public review of antisemitism in the NHS. And since coming into government, we have put record funding into security for synagogues, schools, youth movements and community centres. I am proud of that commitment, and will protect it for as long as it needed – though it is a mark of failure that such defences are required at all.

Even strong security cannot erase what we are facing. Antisemitism, the oldest hatred, mutates but never disappears. It corrodes trust, divides neighbours, and emboldens those who think Jewish people should live smaller, quieter lives.

Yet Jewish communities and leaders continue to do extraordinary work to nurture tolerance and bring people together. This is what matters. We must protect what matters.

Your safety is a measure of this country’s integrity. We will pursue those responsible, strengthen the security you rely on, and do so with determination – until that day when a Hatzola ambulance is not a target but a quiet reassurance that help will always come.