Parents’ horror over swastika at nursery

Community leaders and politicians voiced horror this week after a swastika was daubed just metres from a nursery attended by Jewish children in North Finchley, writes Justin Cohen.

The vile graffiti was found on a wall by Jewish solicitors firm Howard Hyman and Co in Friern Park last Friday and the shocking site still greeted parents taking their kids to Cupcakes nursery nearby on Monday.

The words “F*** you British” were also daubed.

Police have launched an investigation and local MP Mike Freer told the Jewish News: “I am appalled to see a swastika daubed in Finchley. Such attempts to denigrate and intimidate the local Jewish community are not acceptable and show that we must remain vigilant in combatting anti-Semitism.”

Cupcakes is known to be popular with families attending Woodside Park shul, just a 10 minutes walk away.

“I was truly horrified to see such racist graffiti so close to my child’s nursery,” said one parent, who wished to remain anonymous. “I’ve not seen anything like it in years. This area has a vibrant  array of cultures which I am proud to be a part of. It is also home to a large Jewish community, with Morasha Primary School and Woodside Park shul nearby. It would have been seen by mothers bringing their children to the nursery and kids walking to school.”

The council visited the scene on Monday and Tuesday in an effort to remove the daubings – and pledged to return to complete the job today following difficulty in removing the paint. Although the swastika is no longer identifiable and the swear word has been masked, Howard Hyman complained last night that the authority had so far failed to fully clear up the wall.

A CST spokesman said: “Such incidents are relatively rare in this area, but it remains to be seen if this is a one-off.”