London introduces direct bus service to protect Jewish communities

Transport authorities in London have introduced a new public bus service linking two areas of the capital with large Jewish populations, as anti-Semitic incidents hit record levels.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he had been struck by the fear felt by Jews who told him they had received abuse when changing buses to travel between the two areas.

The new service, which began this week, provides a direct link between Golders Green and Stamford Hill, removing the need for passengers to change buses.

The new service was welcomed by Jewish groups.

“In a period where our community is encountering unprecedented anti-Semitism, any measure that bolsters the confidence of Jewish individuals in using public transport is immensely valued,” said co-chairs of the London Jewish Forum Andrew Gilbert and Adrian Cohen.

Khan said the Jewish community has been campaigning for a direct transport link for 16 years.

The Jewish community was “frightened because of a mass increase in anti-Semitism since October 7 last year” when Hamas attacked southern Israel, he told BBC radio.

“I was told stories by families who, where they changed buses from Stamford Hill to Golders Green at Finsbury Park, were frightened about the abuse they had received,” he said.

Passengers using the service on Friday told AFP they were happy it was now available.

“I feel safer and it’s very convenient,” said one woman with her four-year-old son wearing a kippa.

She said she had “never had a problem myself. But antisemitism is rising for sure.”

“I avoid going out in the evening,” she added.

Another passenger, Jochanan, 70, said he usually took a taxi to visit family in Golders Green because the area where you had to change buses was “known to be violent.”

He said he was very concerned about the current situation in London.

“The old generation says the situation now reminds them of Germany before the war in the 1930s,” he said.

Anti-Semitic incidents in the UK hit record levels in the first half of this year, according to one Jewish charity.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors anti-Semitism in Britain, recorded 1,978 such incidents from January to June, its highest six-month tally since it began its count in 1984.

It said it was the continuation of a surge seen after the October 7 attack.

The number represented a 105-percent increase on the 964 incidents recorded in the same period in 2023, the trust added.

AFP