PM told the community is feeling ‘anxious but resilient’ after Golders Green attacks

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has met with Jewish community leaders in Downing Street in the aftermath of the Golders Green arson attacks, in which four ambulances belonging to Jewish volunteer service Hatzola Northwest were set on fire outside a synagogue in the early hours of Monday morning.

Representatives from the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council were among those to attend, along with along with Courts Minister and Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Asked after the meeting, also attended by Union of Jewish Students (UJS) President Louis Danker, whether Jews in Britain should feel safe at the moment, Michael Wegier, chief executive of the Board of Deputies, told the Press Association:“Yes, we should feel safe but anxious, I think.

“There’s a very long, thousands of years, history of Jews who have, at the same time, felt anxious but felt resilient.

“I think resilience is the keyword I would use to describe what the Jewish community needs now.

“I don’t think any of us would say we feel as safe as we did five years ago. There’s clearly been a decline, the figures show that.

“I am not sensing hysteria or panic in the Jewish community. The resilience is cutting through. But I think I have to be honest, we are feeling less safe than we did a few years ago.”

Keith Black, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, added: “Jews don’t feel as safe as they should.

“So yes, they should feel safe, but they feel very vulnerable today.

“I mean, we saw the attacks in Manchester. We saw Iranians arrested a couple of weeks ago for surveying Jewish establishments, and we see today, and we don’t know what is around the corner.”

He added: “We’ve seen identity politics turn violent and, for one reason or another, Jews are caught in the crossfire.

“And so we do call upon all political parties to make sure that Jewish people are not caught up in this crossfire and we are allowed to live our peaceful lives.”

Starmer later told MPs he felt “disgust” at the arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances.

The PM told the Commons Liaison Committee: “The idea that ambulances could be considered a target is simply horrendous.”

He acknowledged the impact the attack will have on the area but also “the whole Jewish community across the country, not least because this is not an isolated incident and the rise of antisemitic hatred is there for all to see”.

Starmer said: “The idea that we live in a society where people should feel they need to hide their identity or their religion is, frankly, abhorrent.

“Antisemitism is an old hatred, but it requires constant vigilance to overcome it.”

Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into an arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances.

The incident in Golders Green, north-west London, is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime by the Metropolitan Police but not as terrorism at this stage, the force said.

Speaking near the scene on Monday, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing for the area, said investigators are aware of a group apparently claiming responsibility for the attack online, but have not yet verified whether this is true.

A video has allegedly been posted on Telegram by an Islamist group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, showing a map of the location where the ambulances were kept and footage of them on fire.

Mr Williams said: “While this has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, the investigation is now being led by Counter Terrorism Policing with all the specialist expertise they bring, and all lines of inquiry remain open.

“We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack. Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team, but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”

CCTV shows three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles, which belong to Jewish community ambulance service, Hatzola, before setting them on fire and running away.