Four ambulances belonging to a London Jewish charity were destroyed in an overnight arson attack—in a crime police suspect was motivated by antisemitism.
The London Fire Brigade was called to the scene on Monday, March 23rd at around 1:40 a.m. Gas cannisters aboard the ambulances exploded in the blaze, although no injuries to the public or emergency services were reported. Nearby homes were evacuated.
CCTV footage shows three masked individuals entering the Hatzola ambulance centre, next to a synagogue on Highfield Road, Golders Green. As the blaze spread, scores of residents living close to the site were moved to safety, with around 30 forced into temporary accommodation.
Hatzola has delivered emergency medical responses and hospital transportation as a charitable, volunteer-run service in North London since 1979. This incident is one of the most serious examples of the rising tide of Jew hatred in Britain in recent years, attracting widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to X and posted
My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news. Antisemitism has no place in our society.
The arson follows the trashing of a nearby branch of Gail’s in Archway, North London—apparently targeted on account of its historic Jewish ownership in the early 1990s.
