London (file)
London (file)Thinkstock

A leading British retailer has been forced to apologize after a shocking incident in which a security guard outside the store barred Jewish schoolchildren from entering.

Children from Yavneh College high school in London were astonished when the guard blocked them from entering and said simply: "No Jews, no Jews," according to the Jewish Chronicle.

David Rosen, a lawyer whose son was one of those refused entry, complained to the store's managers, and after an inquiry the security guard in question was promptly fired by his company.

"Our area manager was notified immediately of this incident and took swift action," said a spokesman for the retail chain. "He personally removed the guard and liaised with the security company which employed the individual. We were subsequently advised that he has been let go by that company."

"The guard was deeply offensive and disrespectful to the school children. We take pride in the lack of prejudice amongst our trained staff and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind," he added.

It is the latest in a seemingly endless number of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, and Europe in general, where anti-Semitism has reached levels not seen for more than a generation.

A recent study by UK anti-Semitism watchdog the Community Security Trust (CST) showed that anti-Semitism in the first half of 2014 in Britain was a whopping 400% higher than the same period in 2013.

The spike in anti-Semitism coincided with Israel's 50-day war with Gazan terrorist groups, who have fired thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians. The subsequent Israeli military response was seized upon by anti-Semites in Europe as a pretext for a wave of attacks and incitement against Jews in general.