London police charge two for anti-Semitic crimes

London Police charged two men Wednesday in connection to a series of suspected anti-Semitic attacks in the capital’s Stamford Hill neighborhood.

Tires of over 50 cars were slashed early Monday morning in one of the UK’s largest Jewish communities, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

Huseiyn Seyel, 27, and Steven Truran, 25, were charged with racially aggravated criminal damage and were scheduled to appear before the Thames Magistrate Court Wednesday.

A third suspect, also arrested in connection to the property attacks, was out on bail pending further police investigations, the Guardian reported.

According to a spokesman for the organization, the damaged cars were types known to be favored by local Jews. “Tens of vehicles were targeted, with the trend being Volvos and people-carriers of various makes, which are very popular vehicles among the Jewish community,” the spokesman said.

Police patrols were increased, Moishe Friedlander, a liaison between the Stamford Hill community and local police, told The Jewish Chronicle.

In August, a mass rally against anti-Semitism was held in London, in response to the rise of recorded instances of anti-Semitism in the United Kingdom. Protesters called for an end to all forms of prejudice, including Islamophobia.

Between January and June of this year, the Community Security Trust recorded 304 anti-Semitic incidents across the country, constituting a 36 percent increase on the same period in 2013.

This included a 35% increase in damage to Jewish property including synagogues and cemeteries, and a 34% increase in “abusive behavior,” which encapsulates “anti-Semitic graffiti on non-Jewish property, one-off hate mail, anti-Semitic verbal abuse and those social media incidents that do not involve direct threats.”

Liam Hoare contributed to this report.