A group of three Israelis were out enjoying London's nightlife on Sunday when a group of approximately 20 men attacked them, according to multiple media reports and limited information published by the Metropolitan Police.
The three victims were heard speaking Hebrew, which is how they were identified during the attack, The Telegraph reported. The Israelis were accosted by a small group of men asking them, "Are you Jewish?" The men would later call their friends to join the attack.
Responding to the attacker's question, 28-year-old Israeli-born Tehilla confirmed she was. Upon confirmation, the men started chanting, "Free Palestine" and "F*** the Jews."
Tehilla told The Telegraph that she was also sworn at in Arabic.
Where were the police?
“So we just tried not to get into trouble, to walk away, but they started following us, and then all of a sudden, it started with like two or three guys, and all of a sudden, they called all their friends, and 15 to 20 guys started attacking us physically,” she recounted.
“I hurt my leg, they punched me in the neck,” she said. “I tried to run away, and I called the police so many times, at least 10 times, and I kept crying to them, ‘I’m a girl, there’s a group of guys attacking me and my friends because I’m Jewish, please can you come, I’m scared I’m going to die.
“They don’t really care. They kept saying ‘I’m sorry, it takes some time, you are not the only one that called tonight’,” she said, adding that she “never thought this would happen in London."
Addressing the incident, Metropolitan Police claimed they attended the scene 28 minutes after the call was made, which contrasted the claim published by Channel 12's Elad Simchayoff, who claimed that police failed to show up after the call at all.
My exclusive story about the antisemitic attack in Leicester square led to a lot of interest. There’s one thing many missed though. Set aside the fact that the victims said the police never arrived at the scene. Even if we take the police’s statement as is, reaching a scene of a… https://t.co/KTXjKl9sta
— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) January 22, 2024
Detective Superintendent Lucy O'Connor said, "We are investigating this incident as an antisemitic hate crime.
"I know how upsetting such inexcusable violence is for anyone who was injured or who witnessed the incident and also for the wider community. I share their concerns.
"Officers arrived at the scene some 28 minutes after they were called. Of course, I wish we could have come sooner.
"The police investigation will now focus on speaking with the woman and any other victims or witnesses, as well as following up all lines of inquiry, including analysis of CCTV. I urge any witnesses to get in touch.
"I can assume Londoners, tackling antisemitic crime is a priority for the Met. There is no place for hate in our city."
Hi, we are aware of an incident that took place in Leicester Square in the early hours of this morning. We are currently investigating this as an antisemitic hate crime. pic.twitter.com/IfbYezq5pg
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 21, 2024
The Telegraph confirmed that the police traveled to Tehilla's home 16 hours after the attack to speak with her about the assault. A friend of the victim also told the source that the police failed to appear at a North London hospital where the victims were being treated. “We believe there’s a two-tier police situation. The police are not tackling the weekly hate marches; they are not tackling antisemitism,” they told The Telegraph.
“The feeling for the Jewish community is that the leadership of the police, the government do not care about us,” they added. “The climate is very very distressing for the British Jewish community.’”
Responses to the attack
The Community Security Trust confirmed that they were involved in the incident, and they will be raising their concerns with the police.
This appalling incident was reported to CST’s 24/7 control centre last night and we are in contact with the victims. We will be raising it with police and will provide ongoing support to the victims. https://t.co/DkEf39NcS4
— CST (@CST_UK) January 21, 2024
Commenting on the incident, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said "Antisemitism will not be tolerated in our city. I’m appalled by reports of an antisemitic incident in Leicester Square over the weekend. The Met Police are now investigating it as a hate crime."
Director of London Jewish Forum Daniella Myers told The Jerusalem Post "LJF and other partners such as CST are working very closely with the police to understand what happened. It took the police a long time to get to the scene and we need to understand why.
"Police were called at 01:37hrs on Sunday, 21 January, to a woman assaulted in the area of Leicester Square. The caller stated that she did not require an ambulance.
"Officers attended the location, arriving shortly after 02:00hrs, at which point all parties had left the scene."
A CST spokesperson issued a statement on this incident, stating, "This appalling incident was reported to CST’s 24/7 control center in the early hours of Sunday morning, and we are providing ongoing support to the victims of what was clearly an extremely threatening and distressing antisemitic assault. We have spoken to police about their unsatisfactory response to try to understand what went wrong and to ensure that they now do everything they can to identify and arrest the perpetrators.”Gary Mond, Chairman of the UK's National Jewish Assembly, said, "This assault on three individuals in central London, merely because they were speaking in Hebrew, demonstrates that the level of Jew hatred in this country has now become intolerable. Who the victims are or where they might be from is totally irrelevant. Such assaults must now be treated with the full force of the law, and the perpetrators should be sent to prison. If, in any sense, the law is too inadequate to achieve this result, then all political parties should work to get the law amended. Violence against innocent people must be utterly stamped out."
Antisemitism in the United Kingdom
The incident came as antisemitism in the United Kingdom reached unprecedented levels, with an increase of 1350% since October 7. Campaign Against Antisemitism reported survey findings which found that 90% of British Jews were avoiding London due to fear of antisemitism.
Gideon Falter, who is the chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said in relation to the survey “Week after week, central London has become a no-go zone for Jews. We have witnessed mass criminality, including the glorification of terrorism, support for banned terrorist organizations such as Hamas, and incitement to racial or religious hatred against Jews.
Another find of the survey was only 16% of British Jews believe that the police treat antisemitic hate crimes like other forms of hate crimes, with two-thirds believing that the police apply a double standard in this regard.
On the same day as the attack, England's northern city of Manchester saw thousands of Jews march against antisemitism in what is thought to have been the largest gathering in that area.