British police forces are stepping up security in Jewish communities after the antisemitic terror attack that left 12 people dead on Bondi beach in Australia.
The Metropolitan police said they were increasing their presence around synagogues and other venues in London, where tens of thousands of Jews are celebrating Hanukah.
The force said there was no intelligence to suggest an increased threat in the capital after the Sydney atrocity but there was “significant heightened concern about safety”.
Police Scotland said they were mounting patrols around Jewish institutions under a Hanukah plan and senior officers were talking to community leaders about additional measures in light of the Bondi attack.
Keir Starmer, the prime minister, described the attack on a Hanukah event in Sydney as “sickening” and said the government was working with the Community Security Trust.
King Charles said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack”.
He added: “Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community. We commend the police, emergency services and members of the public whose heroic actions no doubt prevented even greater horror and tragedy.
“In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve. I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia – and the light at the heart of the Chanukah festival – will always triumph over the darkness of such evil.”
Dave Rich, the director of policy at the Jewish charity, said a “wave of anti-Jewish hatred” had continued to fester after two worshippers died in an attack on a Manchester synagogue in October.
“As much as government and police are doing things to try to stop this, the fact it is still ongoing means that not enough is being done,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“We see incitement, we see hatred on our streets – there were protests in this country just this weekend using violent rhetoric and nobody’s being arrested.
“These protests are not being dealt with properly and I think that’s what leaves a lot of Jewish people feeling incredibly vulnerable and, at times like this, incredibly angry.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was “devastated” by the Sydney attack and was working with the UK government on its response. It added: “The scourges of terrorism and antisemitism are shared, international challenges and need concerted and determined action to defeat them.”
Michael Vaughan, who is in Australia for the Ashes, was trapped in a restaurant as the Bondi beach gun attack unfolded. Photograph: Philip Brown/Getty Images
The former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan said he was locked in a restaurant in Bondi as the incident unfolded.
Vaughan, who is in Australia working as a media pundit for the Ashes series, said it was “scary” but thanked the emergency services and a bystander who was filmed disarming one of the gunmen. He offered his condolences to all those affected.
