The government’s independent adviser on political violence has warned of copycat attacks in the UK after Israeli football fans were targeted with extreme violence in Amsterdam last week.
The danger was particularly acute in Britain, Lord Walney said, because of a “permissive environment for violent antisemitism” which has been exacerbated by inadequate policing of Gaza protests.
“UK authorities have given the impression that people who want to harm Jews will get away with it if they cloak [their actions] with the war in Gaza. It is vital that this is corrected,” he said.
Two days after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were hunted, beaten and stamped on, resulting in five hospitalisations – and before Walney spoke to the JC – one Amsterdam-style incident had already taken place in London.
Cyril, who did not want to disclose his surname, was walking to shul in St John’s Wood on Shabbat when an assailant slowed his car, started to film him and demanded he say “free Palestine”, an echo of comments made by the attackers in the Netherlands as they ambushed Maccabi supporters.
“It was two days after the Amsterdam attack, this guy must have seen the videos and wanted to do the same. They want to make Jews say ‘free Palestine’,” he said.
Calls for copycat attacks also emerged on pro-Palestine social media networks in the UK.
In one Tower Hamlets community Facebook group, locals were urged to protest against “Zios”, with one woman calling for an “Amsterdam-style” attack on a Jewish-led demonstration at Queen Mary University. The Met Police said it was probing the threat against the protestors, who called off their demonstration.
In Liverpool, a student society reshared a post on Instagram calling for protests against Zionists, which said: “After what we saw in Amsterdam this week, you need to come out and show them they’re not welcome in our city”.
Keira Peters called for an “Amsterdam style” attack on a Jewish group who planned to protest an anti-Israel event in Tower Hamlets (Photo: Facebook)
It came after Israel issued a warning for its citizens not to attend cultural or sporting events across the UK and Europe, citing evidence of possible planned attacks.
The notice from the National Security Council also recommended Jews and Israelis conceal their identity in the UK, particularly when booking taxis through applications such as Uber. “Be extra careful about concealing anything that could identify you as Israeli/Jewish,” the government said.
The warning said the Israeli government had intelligence on “preparations to harm Israelis” in major cities in the UK, but did not divulge any further details about planned attacks.
Lord Walney cautioned: “Some people in the UK are attempting to bring the type of confrontation we saw in Amsterdam here.”
He urged political and religious leaders to speak out against “Amsterdam-style attacks or intimidation” and recommended treating violence or incitement with the same severity as the far-right riots over the summer. “Intimidation should be met with the full force of the law,” he said.
“A number of individual decisions [around the policing of anti-Israel protests] have come together to suggest a permissive environment for violent antisemitism in the UK,” he added, suggesting this was an unintended consequence of a series of decisions made by authorities.
In his 300-page report into protecting democracy from coercion, published in March, Walney recommended banning “extreme” protest groups.
He told the JC this week that Palestine Action, who recently beheaded a bust of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizman, should be proscribed for “criminal activity”, and the violent rallying cry “globalise the intifada” should be banned.
The Israeli National Security Council extended its warning to Thursday’s Uefa Nations League match between France and Israel in Paris, where 4,000 police were due to be deployed, and forthcoming cultural events in the UK including the annual Jewish film festival.
Israelis travelling abroad were advised to be aware of whether their destination had a “large migrant population from countries opposed to Israel”.
The Israeli warning may stoke fear in an already febrile atmosphere.
The Community Security Trust said it was “keenly aware of the threat notice”, and urged the community to “follow strict security measures at and nearby UK Jewish communal premises.”
In response to the Israeli notice, the UK government said it would not allow cultural and sporting events to be “hijacked by those who seek to promote hate”, adding: “Police and the security services continue to work to ensure the safety of every community in this country.
“There is no place for antisemitism on our streets… Those who push this poison – offline and online – will face the full force of the law.”
Israel’s warning comes a month after UK police raised concerns over organised terror plots connected to the war in Gaza.
Matt Jukes, head of counter terrorism policing, reported “extraordinary levels of contact from the public” since the October 7 massacre, describing it as a “radicalisation moment” for the UK.
Since the Hamas attack, UK authorities have made over 80 terrorism related arrests directly linked to the conflict and recorded a 15 per cent increase in intelligence submissions to the force.
Britain’s intelligence chief also warned last month that there was a sharp increase in the terror threat from overseas.
MI5 head Ken McCallum said more than a third of the agency’s top-priority investigations “have had some form of connection, of varying strengths, to organised overseas terrorist groups.”
He noted that the war in Gaza had led to “rising public order, hate crime and community safety challenges” that police had had to deal with, and highlighted “plot after plot” of attacks coordinated by Iranian forces. He said the spy agency had “one hell of a job on its hands”.
When asked about the threats of “Amsterdam-style” attacks on Jews, a spokesperson for the Met Police said: “We understand why threatening remarks of this nature will be a cause of real concern. As we did today, we will work with organisers to ensure that those planning to attend can exercise their right to protest without being in fear for their safety.”
