London police investigating vandalism of several public menorahs as hate crimes

Damaged hanukkiahs found in Notting Hill, Muswell Hill and West Hampstead; cops probing if incidents are linked, say treating matter ‘extremely seriously’ following Bondi attack

Police in London said Friday that officers are investigating several incidents of apparent vandalism of menorahs as possible hate crimes, the UK’s Jewish News reported, as the British government looks to tackle rising antisemitism in the wake of Sunday’s terror attack in Australia.

The incidents in Notting Hill, Muswell Hill and West Hampstead were all being probed, according to the report.

“This has been a tremendously difficult week for the Jewish community following the terror attack in Australia at the weekend,” said Metropolitan Police Superintendent Owen Renowden. “And I appreciate how these hate crime incidents will cause further hurt and distress.”

“We are treating these reports extremely seriously and will update further when we can,” he said, adding that investigators are “keeping an open mind as to whether these reports are linked.”

The superintendent noted that police were cooperating with local partners, including religious leaders, and that additional patrols have been deployed.

He encouraged anyone with information that could assist the investigation to come forward.

“The vandalism of hanukkiahs [menorahs] in London is appalling and disgraceful, particularly in the wake of the horrific terror attack in Sydney where Jewish people were killed while celebrating Hanukkah,” said a spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), a UK Jewish security group. “These desecrations are not isolated incidents; we have had several such examples of damage to hanukkiahs reported to CST this week.”

“The story of Hanukkah is one of light and hope, and Jewish people should be free to celebrate this holiday without fear or hatred. We urge anyone with information to contact the police and then report it to CST,” the group added.

According to figures published by the CST, antisemitic incidents have been soaring in Britain since the war in Gaza began with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.

Months of rising fears among the UK’s Jews culminated in October of this year with the Manchester Yom Kippur terror attack, when a man drove into pedestrians outside a synagogue before exiting the vehicle and attacking people with a knife. Two men, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the incident, Daulby by a gunshot fired by a police officer trying to take down the terrorist.

Many British Jewish organizations have long been asking the country’s government and law enforcement to take more decisive steps against anti-Israel protesters, whom they say are fueling unchecked antisemitism across the UK.

The British government last week published its “Antisemitism Action Plan,” which was met with muted response from Jewish organizations, who felt that the government should go further in its plan to combat antisemitism in the UK.

The 14-page document was published just days before the massacre at the Bondi Beach Hanukkah event, which left 15 dead and dozens wounded after gunmen opened fire into the crowd that gathered to light candles to celebrate the Jewish holiday.

Since the attack, the UK has announced that it will take a tougher stance, including arrests, against people who use placards and chants to target the Jewish community, including “globalize the intifada.”