A series of attempted arson attacks targeting the Jewish community have been reported at Kenton United Synagogue in north-west London. The Community Safety Trust (CST) said Saturday night’s attack caused minor smoke damage to internal rooms, but there were no injuries or serious structural damage, the BBC reported.The building, which is located near a school and children’s playground, has been cordoned off while police and fire brigades investigate.Forensic officers, fire investigation dogs and multiple police forces were deployed to the scene and there remains a strong security presence in the area.
What the Mayor of London said
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the perpetrators would face “the full force of the law” and reiterated that anti-Semitism had no place in London.Ephraim Mirvis responded to the incident, calling the attack “cowardly” and warning that Britain’s Jewish community would face a “continued campaign of violence and intimidation.”
Series of anti-Semitic attacks
The latest incident comes amid a series of suspected anti-Semitic attacks in northwest London.A building in Hendon previously associated with a Jewish charity was targeted on Friday, with a man trying to set fire to a plastic bag containing a liquid bottle outside the building before fleeing. The attack, which caused minor damage, is also being treated as a hate crime.Police are also investigating an incident in Finchley where a number of arrests were made earlier this week after reports of petrol bottles being thrown at the synagogue. To date, no arrests have been reported in the Kenton case.
Earlier attacks on Jewish ambulances
The situation escalated after a major arson attack in Golders Green last month. In the early morning of March 23, four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Voluntary Emergency Service were set on fire.Oxygen and gas tanks inside the vehicle caused an explosion that damaged nearby properties and forced residents to evacuate.
