The European Jewish Congress condemns an antisemitic attack in which two Jewish people were stabbed in north London, an incident that comes against the backdrop of a series of antisemitic attacks in the UK capital.
A 45-year-old man, who is also accused of attempting to stab police officers, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Two men, one in his 70s and one in his 30s, were injured in the attack in Golders Green and are in a stable condition in hospital, police added. No officers were injured.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the antisemitic attack as “utterly appalling” and thanked the local charity security group Shomrim, Hatzola, a Jewish ambulance service, and the police for responding so quickly.
During the attack, a man was “seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public,” according to Shomrim, which provides local neighbourhood watch and emergency response. Shomrim added that it responded immediately, and that police deployed a Taser upon arrival.
Specialist counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation and working to establish the suspect’s nationality, background, and any potential terrorist links, police said.
London’s Jewish community has been targeted by a wave of antisemitic attacks in recent weeks. Last month, arsonists set fire to four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in north London. Four people were subsequently charged by police.
Weeks later, a synagogue and the former premises of a Jewish charity, both in north London, were attacked. “We all need to be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we’ve seen too much recently,” Starmer added in Parliament.
