Man arrested for Nazi salute in Golders Green
Twenty-six year old detained after shouting abuse, spitting at passers-by, and performing the offensive gesture in the heart of Jewish London
Police have detained a 26-year old man for a racially aggravated public order offence, after he abused passers-by and did a Nazi salute in Golders Green.
Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim N.W. followed the man after he performed the offensive gesture, before police arrested him.
A statement from the police confirms that: “On Sunday 2 April, at approximately 22.05, a 26 year-old man passed another man standing outside a venue at 134, Golders Green Road NW11 8HB to whom he gave a Nazi salute.”
“The suspect then walked away. Further down the road the suspect spat at another man, which landed on the man’s trousers. The suspect carried on walking.”
“Police were called to the scene and arrested the suspect for a racially aggravated public order offence. The suspect is being held in custody in a north London police station. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism told Jewish News: “The abuse of Jews with the language and symbols of Nazi Germany is intended to maximise the distress caused to the victims. It is a form of antisemitism expressly designed to arouse fear, and must be treated severely by the criminal justice system if others are to be deterred from employing it.”
A Community Security Trust spokesperson said: “We are pleased the offender was arrested and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed this incident to contact the Police.”
Gary Ost, Chief Executive of Shomrim NW London said “our volunteers followed procedure and followed the suspect at a safe distance whilst our control room updated Police on his whereabouts. We are grateful for the swift response by Barnet Police who arrested the suspect. We are supporting the victims to this unacceptable behaviour”
Male performed Nazi salute, shouted abuse & spat on Jew on #Golders Green Road followed by #Shomrim & arrested by @MPSBarnet #ResponseTeamE pic.twitter.com/Fqe1Zkb9Ys
— Shomrim (North West London) (@shomrimlondon) April 2, 2017
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
