The We Believe Alliance is appalled by the antisemitic attack on Hatzolah ambulances in Golders Green in the early hours of this morning.
Setting fire to Jewish-run emergency vehicles is an act of antisemitism as well as criminal destruction. It is a targeted assault on life saving infrastructure primarily serving the Jewish community. That no one was injured is fortunate, but the danger was very real, extending beyond the Jewish community to all those living nearby in one of London’s most multicultural areas. This act of Jew-hatred shows a callous and selective disregard for human life, and a willingness to place entire an neighbourhood at risk.
Hatzolah exists to provide urgent medical care. It serves people of all faiths and none in moments of real need. To target it in this way is shocking, deeply disturbing and lays bare the depths to which antisemites will stoop.
This was not random. It was an attack on Jews and on Jewish communal infrastructure. It was a deliberate attempt to intimidate, threaten and undermine a community’s ability to feel safe.
That such an act can take place in London today reflects a broader failure of leadership. Under Sadiq Khan, and with the acquiescence of the government, antisemitism linked to repeated marches has too often been allowed to pass without firm and consistent intervention. Week after week, large scale demonstrations have taken place in which antisemitic rhetoric, chants and messaging have not been robustly confronted, reinforcing a growing perception of two tier policing. This has contributed to an environment in which hostility towards Jewish communities is increasingly normalised.
This is what happens when antisemitism is allowed to grow unchecked. It does not remain rhetorical. It escalates into acts that endanger lives and strike at the heart of community life.
We stand firmly with Hatzolah and with the Jewish community in Golders Green and of the UK. We hope those responsible are swiftly identified and brought to justice with the full force of the law.
