Police Investigate Antisemitic Attacks as Menorahs Smashed in London

A Menorah at a family celebration on the last night of the Hannukah Jewish fesitval. The m
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Oliver JJ Lane

Hanukkah in London saw a series of antisemitic incidents, including members of the Jewish community abused at lighting ceremonies and menorahs vandalised in London neighborhoods.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a British charity that supports the safety and security of the Jewish community has reported a series of attacks on the Hannukah festival over the past week in London, expressing its regret at the upswing in antisemitism since the Hamas terror attack against Israel this year.

A public menorah in Queen’s Park, North London was smashed overnight Wednesday into Thursday, with the arms of the candelabra snapped off and bulbs smashed. A sticker proclaiming ‘Free Palestine’ was left on the remains, reports the Jewish Chronicle.

The attack was the second on that menorah, which had been previously targeted days earlier, having its bulbs smashed then as well.

The CST said of the vandalism: “This is a disgraceful attack on a symbol of Jewish life in London. Chanukah is a time of celebration of Jewish culture and history, and we will not allow this to intimidate or frighten our community. We call on any local residents who may have seen who did this to contact the police or CST.”

A similar attack against the symbol took place in nearby Islington Green on the same night where a menorah was pulled town and broken into pieces at the park. London newspaper the Evening Standard reports Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz said: “We are utterly appalled at the attack on the menorah lights at Islington Green today.

“The festival of Hanukkah is a celebration of light and joy. This horrific antisemitic attack is completely unacceptable and doesn’t reflect the Islington we know and love. Hate crime has no place in Islington and we will work with the Metropolitan Police to find the culprit of this attack.”

The BBC states no arrests have been made over either incident but that the police believes the damage in both cases was deliberate.

In central London’s prime business and shopping district, antisemitic expressions were more direct, with an event lighting a menorah attacked. The Times reports a statement by the CST that a ceremony on Oxford Street saw lasers pointed in the face of members of the Jewish community attending the event, hostile behavior and “unfriendly comments”, and attempts to blow out the lights.

As previously reported one London borough decided not to have a menorah at all this Hanukkah, stating they believed to do so could provoke tensions. While the council insisted they were not antisemitic themselves, they feared erecting the menorah could “risk further inflaming tensions within our communities” because of “escalating tensions from the conflict in the Middle East”.

The local government authority said there had been an “increase in the number of hate crimes in Havering, both towards the Jewish and Muslim community”, and having a menorah would “not be without risk to the council, our partners, staff and local residents.” The council said they feared vandalism “or other action”.

A letter to the council by the London Jewish Forum in response to the decision said rising antisemitism is was a bad excuse to cancel the seasonal display. The letter read: “no one should be heard to suggest that the response of the Jewish community should be to hide away… instead, at such a difficult time our local Jewish community needs to see leadership from its civic leaders.”

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