A Jewish neighbourhood watch group has claimed that an open-top bus drove past a north London synagogue while playing offensive language over speakers.
Shomrim Stamford Hill Branch shared reports that a hired open-top bus drove through a Jewish neighbourhood at 12.20pm on Saturday with speakers ‘blaring’ ‘Y***s go home’.
Shomrim took to Twitter to share a video of the alleged incident, which took place in Stamford Hill – a Jewish community which last year saw a ‘worrying rise’ in anti-Semitic violence.
The neighbourhood watch group claimed the alleged offensive language appeared to be targeting Orthodox Jewish people who were leaving a synagogue at the time.
In the video, a red open-top bus drives down the road, with crowds of people sitting on the top deck, while a banner appears to be dangling down one side of the bus.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the video was reported to the force on Saturday evening. There is not believed to be an investigation at this stage.
Shomrim Stamford Hill Branch shared reports that a hired open-top bus drove through a Jewish neighbourhood at 12.20pm on Saturday with speakers ‘blaring’ ‘Y***s go home’
Appealing for witnesses to contact them, Shomrim wrote: ‘Reports of an open bus being driven along #StamfordHill #N16 at 12:20pm with speakers blaring ‘Y***s Go Home’
‘Appeared to be targeting Orthodox Jews leaving #Synagogue
‘Victims & Witnesses are asked to contact @Shomrim.’
It comes just days after a teenager was charged with racially aggravated ABH after two Jewish shop owners were attacked in north London.
Officers were called at around 9.50pm on Wednesday to reports of two men being assaulted in Haringey, north London, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.
Malaki Thorpe, 18, of Tottenham, north London, was charged with two counts of racially aggravated ABH and possessing an offensive weapon, and will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The two men who were assaulted, in what is being probed as a hate crime by police, were taken to a north London hospital, while Thorpe was arrested nearby and later charged.
Shomrim claimed the alleged offensive language appeared to be targeting Orthodox Jewish people who were leaving a synagogue in Stamford Hill at the time
It happened just hours before the start of Holocaust Memorial Day, a solemn remembrance of those six million Jews who were systematically killed under the Nazi’s anti-Semitic regime.
The Prime Minister described the attack as ‘appalling’, adding: ‘I thank police for making a swift arrest.’
While Home Secretary Priti Patel said: ‘Thank you to the officers who responded swiftly to make an arrest.’
Police are investigating the incident and have confirmed they are treating it as a hate crime.
Chief Superintendent Simon Crick said: ‘I know that Haringey residents will be upset by such a horrible attack and we won’t stand for anyone in our community being targeted or hurt.
‘If you assault someone, you can expect us to do everything we can to investigate and find you.
‘I have been in touch with members of the local Jewish community and I’m providing additional patrols throughout the day to reassure the community. Please do speak to them if you have any concerns.
Stamford Hill (pictured) is a predominantly Jewish area with one of the largest communities of of Hasidic Jews in Europe, and South Tottenham, a diverse area which also has a high number of Jewish residents
‘I would like to thank the members of the public who called us and asked us to come to the aid of these two gentlemen, and grateful for their help which meant we could locate a suspect.’
The video shows the two Jewish men leaving the shop on Cadoxton Avenue in South Tottenham around 9.50pm on Wednesday.
Shomrim Stamford Hill Branch, a Jewish-run neighbourhood watch scheme, said they are supporting the victims, their families and the community.
Shomrim volunteers said they conducted enquiries and, using CCTV and local knowledge, tracked down a suspect, who was arrested.
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Meanwhile, Haringey police said in a statement: ‘We were called on Wednesday at approximately 9.50pm to reports of two men being assaulted in Cadoxton Avenue, Haringey.
‘Officers attended and searched the local area for the suspect, before arresting an 18-year-old man in nearby Fairview Road on suspicion of actual bodily harm.
‘He was taken into custody, where he currently remains. The two men who were assaulted were taken to a north London hospital.
‘Officers will continue to liase with the victims and members of the community. This is being treated as a hate crime at this time.’
The incident happened between the areas of Stamford Hill, a Jewish area with one of the largest communities of Hasidic Jews in Europe, and South Tottenham, a diverse area which also has a high number of Jewish residents.
Some 87 incidents were recorded in May, four times higher than any other month in the past three years, according to Met Police statistics. Pictured: Library image of ultra-Orthodox Jewish people walking around the Stamford Hill – which is home to one of the largest Hasidic Jewish communities in Europe
The community, which is largely strictly ultra-Orthodox, a group which strictly adheres to Jewish law and largely opposes modern practices, is estimated to be some 15,000 strong, and growing at a rate of around 5 per cent each year.
Many Jewish men can be seen walking in their distinctive clothes on their way to and from worship.
Last year, it was revealed how violence in Jewish people in London had spiked following escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine.
Some 87 incidents were recorded in May, four times higher than any other month in the past three years, according to Met Police statistics.
In March last year, Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, president of Shomrim in Stamford Hill, said there had been ‘seven incidents against Jewish women and girls’ in the area.
The claim came after widely reported CCTV showed a man assaulting a pregnant woman in a street in Stamford Hill in March last year.
CCTV showed the woman being followed down a side street, before a man appeared to put a pillow case or cloth over her head. She was then punched in the stomach several times before he ran off.
The Met Police said at the time that a 20-year-old woman was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.
In September last year a man appeared in court charged over a number of alleged ‘unprovoked attacks’ on Jewish people in the area. In one alleged incident, a 64-year-old man was left unconscious following a ‘punch’.
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