Police forensic officers work inside a cordon set up near to Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London, Sunday, the scene of an arson attack overnight. AFP-Yonhap
LONDON - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday to bring perpetrators of recent arson attacks on Jewish sites in London to justice as Britain's chief rabbi said "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation" against Jews was accelerating.
Starmer said he was "appalled" by a spate of recent arson attacks in northwest London, the latest of which came on Saturday night, after a similar incident late on Friday.
"This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain," the prime minister said in a post on X.
"We will not rest in the pursuit of perpetrators."
Counter-terror officers from London's Metropolitan Police are investigating multiple arson or attempted arson attacks against Jewish properties in Britain's capital in the past month.
Officers have stepped up patrols in areas with large Jewish populations, amid an upsurge in antisemitic incidents in Britain.
In the latest incident, a fire caused minor smoke damage to a room at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow on Saturday night, said the Community Security Trust (CST), which provides safety advice to Jewish groups. No injuries were reported.
A property formerly used by the charity Jewish Futures was targeted in nearby Hendon on Friday night.
"A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum," the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said in a post on X.
Source: Korea Times News
