Red paint thrown on Jewish schools in London a hate crime - police

Two Jewish schools in north London have been daubed with red paint in what has been called "a disgraceful attempt to intimidate and harass" the community.

Shomrim Stamford Hill - a Jewish neighbourhood watch-style group - said one school was targeted on Thursday and a second on Monday.

It tweeted CCTV footage of a masked figure spraying the paint on the outside of the buildings.

The Met Police confirmed it was being investigated as a hate crime.

Shomrim or Shmira are organisations of volunteer Jewish civilian patrols which have been set up in some Jewish communities.

Det Ch Supt James Conway, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: "We have had extra police patrols in the area since the attacks in Israel to provide reassurance.

"We are working closely with our partners in the Community Security Trust, the Shomrim, Hackney Council and other key local partners.

"We have a zero tolerance for hate crime."

A school in Lordship Road was vandalised shortly before 07:00 on Thursday, while paint was thrown on a second in Woodberry Down, Met Police said.

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Shomrim chief executive Chaim Hochhauser said: "The brazen acts of vandalism have sent shockwaves through our community.

"The fear and anxiety are palpable, especially among the students and their families, who are forced to confront the harsh reality of hatred that has literally stained the walls of their educational sanctuaries."

The vandalism comes amid heightened concerns over possible antisemitic crimes in the UK following the attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October and the subsequent military retaliation.

Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats, said: "Two Jewish schools in Stamford Hill have been attacked with red paint in what appears to be a disgraceful attempt to intimidate and harass our community.

"This was reported to CST and to the police and we are assisting the police with their investigation. We urge anyone with any information about this appalling example of anti-Jewish hatred to contact police."