Police investigate man who chased after Charedim with a stick on Shabbat
Authorities will 'include consideration of whether any offences were religiously or racially motivated' in inquiries
Police are investigating a man who chased after Charedi Jews with a wooden stick in Stamford Hill on Shabbat.
Footage shared online by neighbourhood watch group Shomrim shows observant Jews as they travelled to synagogue on Shabbat, running away from the individual on Saturday 2 January. The clip also shows small children running away from him as he shouted expletives.
In a statement, the police said it “were initially called to Cranwich Road, Stamford Hill, N16 at 09:32hrs on Saturday, 2 January following reports of a disturbance involving a man brandishing a large stick. Further calls established that the man then moved into Bethune Road where the disturbance continued.
“Officers attended and stopped a 29-year-old man at the scene. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery and was taken to a north London police station. After an initial review, officers determined that the incident should be classified as a public order offence, not an attempted robbery. The man was released under investigation on Sunday, 3 January and enquiries are ongoing
“These will include consideration of whether any offences were religiously or racially motivated.
“We are aware of a video that has since been shared online which appears to have been filmed during this incident. It shows that there were a number of people present at the scene who would have witnessed what happened. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD1524/02JAN.”
Taking to Twitter, Shomrim shared the footage on Tuesday appealing for witnesses, calling it a “hate crime”.
The group said the “deranged male armed with a stick chased Jewish families on the way to Synagogue”.
#HateCrime #Antisemitism
Dunmore Road #N16 Sat 9am, Deranged male armed with a stick chased Jewish families on the way to #Synagogue @Shomrim are appealing for victims & witnesses to contact us cad 5521 Tuesday, 05 January 2021 pic.twitter.com/jEFrrU7IUj— Shomrim (Stamford Hill) (@Shomrim) January 5, 2021
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
