Police probe report blood ‘smeared’ on councillor’s car amid death threats
'It's made me more determined to keep doing what I am going to do,' the councillor said
South Wales Police are investigating reports blood was smeared on a councillor’s car while it was parked outside her home in Cardiff.
Councillor Jayne Cowan, whose late father was a member of Cardiff United shul, reported the incident to police on Wednesday – days after allegedly getting a death threat by telephone.
Officers are looking into determining whether it was deliberate and whether it was linked to other incidents previously reported by Cowan.
The councillor, who is receiving support from the Community Security Trust, expects to receive a panic alarm from the police in the coming weeks.
Cowan, who has been representing her ward for two decades, estimates she has been targeted by abusers for around 12 years.
She said she has had fish thrown in her garden and dog faeces smeared on her windows. While she was running in 2016, swastikas were daubed on campaign boards stuck in a friend and family members’ gardens, she said.
“With the increase of the swastikas and things, it does look as though it is motivated towards me because I have Jewish family,” she told JN. “I thought we had moved on from that but obviously we haven’t.”
Cowan said she will not be intimidated by abusers. “It’s made me stronger, more determined to work harder and not having these individuals stopping me representing people and to doing what I am going to do,” she said.
Mark Gardner, from the CST, said: “This is a campaign of hatred and we are anxious to understand who and what lies behind it.”
Police urge anyone with information to contact 101 or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111, with the reference *327175.
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.
