Police in London and the Community Security Trust (CST), which provides safety, security and advice to the Jewish community in the UK, are investigating “appalling antisemitic slogans and symbols” which were found at a golf course in Hendon in the early hours of Friday morning, The Jewish Chronicle reports.
The graffiti, which included phrases such as “Heil Hitler” and swastikas, was drawn in the sand at Hendon Golf Club, where police also reported damage to signs and property.
Videos circulated on social media showed a swastika along with the offensive phrases "f*** the Jews" and "Heil Hitler" marked in the sand.
Word of the incident, which took place shortly before Erev Yom Kippur, quickly spread on Friday.
In a statement to The Jewish Chronicle, the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at approximately 08:45 on Friday, October 11 after a member of staff at a golf club in Devonshire Road...reported offensive and antisemitic messages had been raked into bunkers on the course. There was also damage caused to signs and property at the club. The incident is being investigated as a racially aggravated hate crime.”
There have been no arrests as of yet, and the Metropolitan Police have called on anyone with information to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Branch of the North West Command Unit, which includes Barnet, said, “We are aware of the shock and distress that this incident has caused, especially coming at a time when the Jewish community is celebrating Yom Kippur.”
“Following the incident, we have attended the golf course to support the club and have spoken to community leaders to ensure they are updated on the progress of this investigation. Local residents will also continue to see a visible police presence in and around key areas across our boroughs,” he added.
CST issued a statement about the incident, saying, “CST is aware of appalling antisemitic slogans and symbols discovered at Hendon Golf Club on Friday morning.”
“For this to occur in the heart of the Jewish community shortly before the onset of Yom Kippur is utterly disgraceful. We are in regular contact with the police and have urged them to thoroughly investigate this hate crime, and we ask anyone with any information about it to contact CST and the police."
Hendon is home to a significant Jewish population – as of 2020, around 17 percent of the local population was Jewish.
The incident comes amid an increase in antisemitism in Britain in the year that has passed since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Data released last week by the government found that religious hate crime in England and Wales surged by a record 25 percent over the past year, driven by an increase since the onset of the Gaza war.
The highest annual tally of religious hate crimes in over a decade was attributed to a rise in offenses "against Jewish people and to a lesser extent Muslims" following the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, the interior ministry reported.
Hate crimes against Jewish people more than doubled, reaching 3,282 cases, while offenses against Muslims also climbed to 3,866.
The data was released days after protesters carrying banners in support of Hezbollah marched through central London.
Incidents of antisemitism in Britain in recent months include one which occurred in May, when a woman carrying a large knife was arrested in Stamford Hill, north London.
The woman allegedly told a Jewish man that he is a "provocation" before adding, "You people, you Jewish...all the trouble you’re creating in the world."
A month earlier, a Jewish man was attacked by four men in Stamford Hill. According to the Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish civilian watch organization, the four individuals approached the Jewish man, threatened him, and demanded he get into the trunk of their car.
Several days before that, two men were arrested at a pro-Palestinian Arab march in London. One of the men was taken into custody for carrying a swastika emblazoned placard and another for allegedly making racist remarks towards counter-protesters, the Metropolitan Police said.
