The prime minister has met Jewish communal leaders in the aftermath of what he called a “horrific antisemitic attack” on Hatzola ambulances in the early hours of this morning.
The Board of Deputies’ chief executive Michael Wegier, Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black, as well as representatives from Hatzola and local MPs Sarah Sackman and David Pinto-Duschinsky were among those to speak to the prime minister. Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Housing Secretary Steve Reed.
At the start of a scheduled appearance before Parliament’s Liaison Committee, Starmer started by expressing his “disgust” at what took place at the early hours of Monday morning.
“The idea that ambulances could be considered a target is simply horrendous, and I know the impact that that will have had on so many individuals, not just those in the area … but also, frankly, the whole Jewish community across the country not least because this is not an isolated incident, and the rise of antisemitic hatred is there for all to see.”
The prime minister went on to reiterate that the government would replace the ambulances with temporary vehicles which would be “ready by tomorrow morning at the latest”. He added: “The NHS will pay for the permanent replacements that are going to be needed in due course.”
Starmer said that this was “the right thing to do” and “underscores what I think is a really important principle that this is not just an attack on the Jewish community, but it's an attack on all of us, on everyone who holds the fundamental British values of tolerance and respect.”
Starmer also thanked Jewish communal leaders for meeting him in Downing Street earlier in the day “at such short notice”. He added that actions that arose from the gathering included “speeding up aspects of the social cohesion strategy” and “support that's available for the CST”.
He went on: “The idea that we live in a society where people should feel they need to hide their identity or their religion is, frankly, abhorrent. Antisemitism is an old hatred, but it requires constant vigilance to overcome it, and so let me be clear, we won't rest in our fight to defeat this poison and keep the Jewish community safe.”
Questioned by the chair of the committee Dame Meg Hillier about an increase in police presence in areas with large Jewish populations, the prime minister responded that he had “already actioned some discussions with the Home Office about that. I won't go into the specific details here, but just to rest assured, that is one of the issues”.
Writing for the JC, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This shocking, cowardly and despicable act of evil was not only an attack on London’s Jewish community, but on an ambulance service whose sole purpose is to save lives and care for others.
“There is no doubt that what this attack was designed to do is to strike fear into the heart of Jewish people in Golders Green, but also across the country. And as a member of Parliament who represents a significant Jewish community further east in London, I know that what's happened will be felt painfully and acutely by all Jewish people across our country.
“The aim of these attackers is clear – they want Jewish people in this country to live smaller lives, to live less Jewish lives, to be less visible as Jewish people – to fear going about Jewish life, whether that's attending school or providing the services and support that makes the Jewish community one of the most resilient, strong and proud communities in the country.
“Hatzola’s volunteers represent the very best of public service, providing rapid, life-saving care to anyone in need, and it is appalling that such a service has been targeted in this way.
“Of course, the best form of solidarity is practical solidarity, which is why today, our London Ambulance Service colleagues are providing support to the team in Golders Green to make sure that we don't skip a beat when it comes to responding to emergency call outs, and we will also be providing four replacement ambulances, initially on loan until we can provide permanent replacements. The Jewish community should not bear the cost of this hatred.
“This moment demands more than practical support. The Jewish community will not stand alone – the government and this entire country stands with them.
“The answer cannot simply be higher walls, thicker doors, more CCTV. We also have to deal with this hatred at its source. We have to confront and beat the evil ideas that are permeating in our society. Antisemitism is an old hatred, but it is alive and kicking in our country, and all of us, particularly those who are not Jewish have to wake up, stand up, and work with our Jewish friends and neighbours in confronting and defeating this despicable hatred.”
After their meeting in Downing Street, Wegier and Black were interviewed by GB News.
Wegier described the meeting as “constructive” and that the government had “stepped up quite quickly” to support the Jewish community, adding: “Whilst the Jewish community is in a very fragile place at the moment, a very concerned place … we were very pleased to have been called promptly this morning to number tenants meet with the Prime Minister and his team.”
Black described the attack on the ambulances as “an act of grotesque terrorism”.
He continued: “This is a form of violence against a completely innocent minority that is utterly unacceptable, and the government and the Prime Minister quite right to call it out and to do everything in their power to remove this vicious vein of horror from British society.”
Earlier on Monday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that counter-terror police would lead the investigation into the attack on the ambulances in Golders Green.
A video circulating online purporting to be from Iran-linked group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia appeared to claim responsibility for the attack, a claim the police said they were looking to verify.
"We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack. Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team, but it is not something we can confirm at this point,” Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, the head of policing in north west London, said in a statement.
He reaffirmed that the police were treating the incident as an “antisemitic hate crime”, adding: “This is a devastating incident for our Jewish communities and we have launched an immediate investigation to identify those responsible.”
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