UNITED KINGDOM: Four Jewish community charity ambulances set on fire in London
An antisemitic hate crime is suspected
HRWF (23.03.2026)— At around 1:40 GMT on Monday 23 March, four vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service were set on fire in London, causing several explosions – believed to be linked to gas cannisters onboard the vehicles.
The incident took place in Golders Green, a London neighborhood with a large Jewish population.
Police are investigating a suspected antisemitic hate crime, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The four ambulances belonged to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical response.
Multiple cylinders on the vehicles exploded, causing windows to break in an adjacent block of flats, it said in a statement, adding that no injuries have been reported and the fire has been brought under control.
Police Superintendent Sarah Jackson revealed that the police are looking for three suspects but no arrests have been made yet.
Anti-Jewish incidents are rocketing
The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in late 2023, according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community. The group recorded 3,700 in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.
In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death. Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.
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