Early on the morning, 23 March, arsonists set fire to four ambulances owned by Jewish charity Hatzola. The incident is being investigated for possible antisemitic motives.
The attack, which occurred in Golders Green, North London, caused several explosions when the fire hit the vehicles’ gas canisters. Thankfully, no one was injured, and all of the fires have now been extinguished.
At around 1:45am, the London Fire Brigade contacted the Met Police with news of the arson. The Met issued a statement three hours later, confirming that they’re treating the attack as an antisemitic hate crime.
Although the attack has not yet beendeclared a terror incident, counter-terror police are leading the investigation. At the time of writing, no arrests have been made.
CCTV footage shows three black-clad figures approaching one of the ambulances, which catches fire within seconds. Shortly thereafter, the suspects are seen fleeing the scene. Another video shows a sizeable explosion centered on an ambulance.
Met deputy chief superintendent Luke Williams stated that:
We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack. Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team, but it is not something we can confirm at this point.
This likely refers to a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya—’The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand’. The Iran-aligned organisation made an unsubstantiated claim of responsibility on its Telegram channel earlier today.
About Hatzola
Hatzola describes itself as:
a non-profit, volunteer organisation established in 1979 to provide pre-hospital emergency medical response and transportation at no cost, to the North London community.
Hatzola responds to thousands of emergencies every year, from minor injuries to life-threatening conditions. our average response time to life-threatening emergencies is usually within minutes – because we cherish the value of life, and know that those vital minutes can spell the difference between life and death.
Volunteers are trained by medical professionals, and the charity works collaboratively alongside London hospitals and national emergency services. It provides both emergency first response and hospital transfers, among other services.
‘Hatzola’ is the Hebrew word for ‘rescue’. Similar organisations around the world use the name, although the degrees of direct affiliation between the chapters vary. Although the charity itself is Jewish, it offers aid without regard to “race, religion, ethnicity, or ability to pay.”
An appeal to help Hatzola rebuild their fleet of ambulances has already raised over £38,000.
‘No one should feel that we’re not there for them’
Yossi Pincus, a volunteer senior paramedic for North West London Hatzola, stated that antisemitism is an “intrinsic problem nationwide”. He added that:
We are currently running business as usual. We’re still responding and we’re still available for those that need us and no one should feel that we’re not there for them in any different way that we would normally be.
Pincus added that he was grateful to the UK government for its offer to loan four replacement ambulances until the charity can replace its vehicles.
In an address to the House of Commons, home secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that:
This incident comes at a time of soaring antisemitism in our country and today my message to our Jewish community is clear: we stand with you, we will do everything in our power to protect you and we will fight relentlessly to rid our society of antisemitism.
Green party leader Zack Polanski took to social media to offer his solidarity:
Horrified by the antisemitic attack in our city.
Antisemitism is vile and has no place here. Solidarity with the Jewish community in Golders Green — and with our communities across the country who will be feeling this today.
Likewise, Matthew Taylor, interim chief executive of the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said:
This appalling attack on Jewish charity ambulances in Golders Green is profoundly disturbing and will no doubt cause enormous distress to Jewish NHS staff and patients.
This incident comes at a time when the NHS workforce is already facing an unacceptable rise in violence, aggression and abuse. While the motives behind these will be varied, the latest NHS Staff Survey reveals that almost one in seven NHS staff experienced physical attacks from patients or the public last year, the highest rate in three years. These findings paint a stark and troubling picture of the pressures and dangers staff encounter while simply trying to care for the public.
No member of staff should fear for their safety at work, and no community should be subjected to what appears to be hate‑motivated attacks on their essential services.
Featured image via the Canary
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