Investigation Launched Following Incident Involving Jewish School Children
An investigation has been initiated after a vehicle drove towards three Jewish school children in north-west London.
The headteacher of Hasmonean High School for Boys informed parents in a letter on Wednesday that the Metropolitan Police is seeking witnesses regarding what the school described as an "antisemitic traffic incident."
The letter detailed that a black car reportedly drove towards students waiting to cross Holders Hill Road, Finchley, on 20 April at approximately 15:40 BST. The vehicle mounted the kerb, prompting the students to move away. No injuries were reported.
The Metropolitan Police stated that the incident is being treated as a "religiously aggravated assault," with enquiries ongoing.
Father Describes Incident and Impact on Son
The father of one of the three 14-year-old boys involved said his son was "shaken" by the event.
"There were dozens of kids walking around in kippot [skullcaps]. Three of them – my son and two friends – were round the corner from the school waiting to cross the road.
A black saloon car was waiting on the inside lane closest to them. As the lights turned green, the car sped up significantly and mounted the kerb where they were standing. They jumped backwards out of the way as the car hurtled towards them and then the car sped off. Had they not jumped, they would have been hit."
"My son was shaken, but with it.
They couldn't see a driver. Nothing was said to them or shouted at them. But it's pretty clear that whoever it was was trying to scare them.
They were visibly Jewish kids. He was waiting at the lights and saw these kids and saw an opportunity."
Concerns Over Intent and Safety
The father expressed his belief that the driver intended to "terrorise" the children, adding:
"I'm not convinced that he or she would have intended to hit or hurt them.
There's no question in our minds – and in the mind of the investigating officer that I've spoken to – that there appeared to be intent.
Otherwise, if you had narrowly missed three children, you would get out and see what happened. There's no evidence of that. The car literally screeched off afterwards.
It was somebody who clearly saw an opportunity to clearly target young, visibly Jewish children and take a pop at them in a way that could have caused serious injury, had they not jumped out of the way."
He also voiced concerns about his children's safety when attending school.
"As people who identify openly as Jews and want to show our identities, you feel like you are gambling with your children's safety," he said.
"I would like people to realise that when we send our children as Jews off to school in the morning there are thousands of parents who wonder what kind of world we let our children go into and whether they will come home safe.
I've been stunned by the general lack of public open support for the Jewish community. People need to see this isn't the Britain we want for our children."
School and Community Responses
A spokesperson for Hasmonean High School for Boys stated:
"At this challenging time we are working closely with all in our community and appropriate agencies to support our students' safety."
The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity dedicated to protecting British Jews from antisemitism, confirmed the incident was reported to them and is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said enquiries are ongoing to determine the full circumstances of the incident.
"We remain in close contact with the nearby school. At this stage, no arrests have been made," they added.
Increased Police Presence to Protect Jewish Communities
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police announced the deployment of 100 additional officers to safeguard London's Jewish communities.
The newly formed Community Protection Team will include officers from neighbourhood policing, specialist protection, and those with counter-terrorism expertise.
This development follows a sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police last month, with 140 offences reported in April compared to 98 in March and 67 in February.
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