In brief
- Police have responded to what they described as an antisemitic arson attack in north London.
- The ambulances set ablaze belonged to Hatzola, a Jewish non-profit organisation.
Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community organisation in north London were set ablaze, UK police said on Monday, adding that the incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
"An investigation has been launched after four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service were set on fire in Golders Green," Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
"Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime."
The ambulances belonged to Hatzola, a not-for-profit volunteer organisation that responds to medical emergencies.
Golders Green, in London's northwest, is home to a large Jewish population.
The London Fire Brigade said it sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to the scene. Calls from residents were recorded at 1.40am local time (12.40pm AEDT).
"Multiple cylinders on the vehicles exploded and caused windows to break in an adjacent block of flats. No injuries are reported," it said.
The fire brigade said the fire was under control by just after 3am local time.
"We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries," police superintendent Sarah Jackson said.
"We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage," she said, adding that no arrest has been made.
Attacks against Jews and Jewish targets have risen worldwide since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered Israel's war in Gaza.
In Australia, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) reported that during the twelve-month period from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, there were 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents logged by volunteer Community Security Groups (CSGs), official Jewish state roof bodies, and the ECAJ.
In the 10 years prior to October 2023 (Oct. 2014 – to Sep. 2023) the average annual number of anti-Jewish incidents was 342. In the two years since 7 October 2023, and the subsequent surge in antisemitism, there has been an average of 1,858 incidents per year, according to ECAJ.
Since the conflict, the United Kingdom has recorded significantly higher levels of antisemitic hate.
The Community Security Trust (CST) charity recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2025, the second-highest total ever reported to CST in a single calendar year. It was an increase of 4 per cent from the 3,556 anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded by CST in 2024, and 14 per cent lower than the highest ever annual total of 4,298 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023. CST recorded 1,662 antisemitic incidents in 2022, and 2,261 in 2021.
The most severe antisemitic incident in the UK last year was the Manchester synagogue attack that killed two Jewish worshippers during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
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