Israel-Hamas war felt in UK as Jewish schools forced to increase security

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, British Jews have braced themselves for the possibility of antisemitic hate crimes from pro-Palestine protesters.

Palestinian militant group Hamas sent fighters across the border to Israel and fired thousands of rockets in an unprecedented attack on Saturday.

At least 900 people have reportedly been killed in Israel and more than 600 have been killed in Gaza, with dozens more taken hostage by Hamas.

In response, there have been a number of alarming incidents in the UK. Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters marched through Manchester on Sunday, for instance, saying they were “full of joy” at the attacks on Israel, and while being Jewish should not be conflated with being Israeli, British Jews in various cities are concerned for their safety.

So, the Metropolitan Police is increasing the level of security and number of patrols outside Jewish schools in London in response to potential threats.

CST, a charity advising Jewish organisations on security in Britain, is working with the police to ensure the safety of children at Jewish schools and provide reassurance to the community.

In what struck a chord on social media when the news was shared by Jewish comedian David Baddiel, some pupils have been told that they do not have to wear blazers carrying their school logo in case doing so identifies them as Jewish.

David Moody, headmaster of the Jewish Free School in Kenton, north London, said: “In conjunction with increased patrols from the Metropolitan Police, CST has deployed extra security to ensure the safe travel of our students to and from school. We are indebted for their support and our thoughts are with all those families who have been impacted by the terrorist attacks.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We are aware of a number of incidents, including those that have been shared on social media, in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the border with Gaza. The Met has increased policing patrols across parts of London in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities.”

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