Three Jewish teenagers were allegedly assaulted on a north London bus last week, with the Metropolitan Police investigating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime, JNS reported Monday.
The three 14-year-old boys were traveling near Sanders Lane in Mill Hill at approximately 8:15 a.m. on September 10, the day before Rosh Hashanah. Officers from the Metropolitan Police's new Community Protection Team spoke with the teenagers and recorded their accounts.
According to the Met, two of the boys reported being physically assaulted, while all three said they were subjected to hate speech. Police are reviewing security footage as the investigation continues. The force has not disclosed the alleged language used or what happened immediately before the reported assaults.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who oversees policing in the area, said the suspect is believed to be a white British man.
“The Met will not tolerate antisemitism in any form, and we will respond robustly to any and all offenses that occur," Williams stated. “Urgent enquiries are ongoing to trace and identify the suspect linked to this incident."
The alleged attack occurred as the Met stepped up patrols ahead of the Jewish High Holidays.
“Our Jewish communities have the right to celebrate and observe the upcoming High Holidays without fear of antisemitic hate," Williams told JNS. “During this important period of peace, we have increased our patrols in order to provide reassurance, deter those who seek to cause harm and help ensure people can come together with confidence."
The Community Security Trust, which supports Britain's Jewish community and tracks antisemitism, condemned the alleged attack.
“It is deeply disturbing that three schoolboys were targeted and assaulted simply because they are Jewish," a spokesman for the Board of Deputies told JNS. “No child should have to face antisemitic abuse or violence on their journey to school or anywhere else."
“We welcome the Metropolitan Police’s investigation and urge anyone with information to come forward," the Board of Deputies added. “Jewish children must be able to go about their daily lives without fear of being targeted for who they are."
The incident comes amid a broader rise in antisemitic attacks in Britain. In late April, two Orthodox Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, leading the UK to raise its national terrorism threat level from "substantial" to "severe" for the first time in more than four years.
Weeks earlier, an arson attack destroyed four ambulances operated by the Jewish Hatzolah charity in the same London neighborhood.
The incidents are just two examples of the increasing antisemitism in London. In 2025, Britain recorded the world's highest per-capita rate of violent antisemitic attacks, with 121 severe assaults documented among a Jewish population of approximately 300,000.