London, United Kingdom. Police said four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community organisation in north London were set ablaze in a suspected antisemitic hate crime. The incident took place in Golders Green, where officers launched an investigation.
Police investigation
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday that an investigation had been launched after four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service were set on fire in Golders Green. Police said officers remained at the scene and the arson attack was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
Emergency response and damage
The London Fire Brigade said it sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to the scene after receiving calls from residents at 0140 GMT. It said multiple cylinders on the vehicles exploded, causing windows to break in an adjacent block of flats, and that no injuries were reported. The fire was under control by 0306 GMT, the brigade said.
Organisation and wider context
The ambulances belonged to Hatzola, a not-for-profit volunteer organisation that responds to medical emergencies. Attacks against Jews and Jewish targets have risen worldwide since the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
Community security reaction
Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, which advises Britain’s estimated 290,000 Jews on security matters, said there was an “obvious parallel to similar recent anti-Jewish arson attacks in Liege, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.” He said Britain has recorded significantly higher levels of antisemitic hate since the conflict.
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