Downing Street has announced the Community Security Trust (CST) will be given an additional £3 million to provide extra security for Britain’s Jewish population in the wake of the Hamas attacks in Israel.
It comes after three Jewish schools in north London decided to close for the day on Friday after one of the leaders of Hamas called for a “day of rage” against Israel.
In a statement made from his office in Qatar, Khaled Meshaal, who heads the diaspora office of Hamas, said, “To all scholars who teach jihad ... to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application.”
The CST said it had recorded a 400 percent spike in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK since Hamas terrorists poured over the border from the Gaza Strip and slaughtered hundreds of innocent Israelis on Saturday.
There are fears that as the Israeli assault on Gaza gathers pace, there could be even more anti-Semitic attacks in London, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and other cities with prominent Jewish populations.
Downing Street said the extra money would allow the CST to place additional guards outside Jewish schools and synagogues, especially on Friday nights and Saturday mornings when Jews mark the Shabbat (sabbath).
The head teachers of three London schools—Torah Vodaas Primary School in Edgware, Ateres Beis Yaakov Primary School in Colindale, and Menorah High School in Neasden—told parents they would be closed until Monday.
Elsewhere, there has been an anecdotal rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents.
‘It Left me Feeling Quite Shaken’
“It left me feeling quite shaken. This was a case of anti-Semitic harassment by someone in the building. I have experienced anti-Semitism in Oxford (before) but not usually from students,” Mr. Stern wrote.He said: “At moments like this, when the Jewish people are under attack in their homeland, Jewish people everywhere can feel less safe. That is why we must do everything in our power to protect Jewish people everywhere in our country. If anything is standing in the way of keeping the Jewish community safe, we will fix it.”
The CST issued a statement on Friday, which said: “In Britain, CST has seen a serious increase in anti-Semitism against Jewish people and property. This is what happens when Israel is attacked or is at war.”
“It happens because of Jew hatred and for no other reason. CST’s mission is to stand against this hatred, to protect our community and its way of life,” it added.
British Jews Urged to be ‘Vigilant’
They urged British Jews to be “calm and resilient” and “vigilant.”Mr. Sunak convened a meeting on Thursday to discuss the policing of protests expected over this weekend.
The chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Donna Jones, who attended the meeting, said the police intended to clamp down on clothing which supported Hamas and anti-Jewish chanting.
She told LBC Mr. Sunak and Ms. Braverman reiterated, “their strength of feeling around the fact that people using flags or wearing particular items of clothing or masks indicating support of Hamas is in fact an offence under terrorist law, because they are a proscribed terrorist organisation.”
Police say a 22-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, Hamas, at a protest in Brighton on Sunday.
Counter-Terrorism Policing South East said she was detained on Thursday under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.