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The British government has announced a £250 million (€293.5m) package to strengthen police protection for Jewish communities following a series of antisemitic attacks across the country.
The funding, spread over three years, will pay for more than 500 additional police officers in areas with significant Jewish populations, including 300 officers in London. It will also support increased patrols outside synagogues and Jewish schools, as well as the deployment of more plain-clothes officers.
Outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer said the announcement was part of a “coordinated response across every corner of our society” to stamp out antisemitism.
“The rise in antisemitism we have seen in recent years is a test of our values as a country and tackling it has been central to my leadership from day one,” he said.
“Today’s funding builds on that work – delivering a step-change in protection and policing so Jewish communities can live and celebrate their faith free from fear.”
The package also includes funding for educational initiatives aimed at tackling antisemitism and preventing hate crime.
Matt Jukes, Deputy Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, said Jewish communities continued to face heightened risks.
“Jewish communities are facing an exceptional threat with rising hate crime alongside terrorism and interference from hostile states,” he said.
The announcement follows a number of attacks targeting Jewish people and institutions that led to Downing Street raising the terror threat level to severe.
In late April, two Jewish men were stabbed in the north London district of Golders Green in what police described as a terrorist attack. The incident came after arson and attempted arson attacks on Jewish sites, including synagogues in the capital, during the spring.
In October last year, two people were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester.
The government said £59 million of the overall package will be allocated to counter-terrorism policing to strengthen security measures and improve the response to threats from hostile states.
Following the Golders Green attack, Starmer pledged additional support for Britain’s Jewish community and accused Iran of seeking “to harm British Jews”.
The Metropolitan Police also announced in May that it was establishing a dedicated unit to help protect Jewish communities after a surge in antisemitic incidents.
Additional sources • AFP