The police are probing a suspected arson attack at a memorial wall for the Iranian and Jewish community.
Counter-terror police are investigating an attempt to set fire to the wall in Golders Green, north London, in the early hours of Monday morning.
A ‘man dressed in black’ was said to have set fire to part of the memorial before fleeing.
The wall has pictures of people killed in the October 7th attack in Israel, as well as the thousands of protestors who were killed during anti-regime protests in Iran in January.
The memorial wall itself was not damaged and it is not being treated as a terrorist incident.
Lisa Marlowe, whose son Jake was killed on October 7, came to the wall today after hearing about the suspected arson.
She told Metro: ‘This is despicable it’s disgusting. My son was unarmed security at the Nova festival. It’s heartbreaking what is happening to the Jewish people. I came to check my son’s image on the wall and check in on him.’
Vahid Baghi, who looks after the wall, described the attack as ‘terrible’.
He said: ‘I have put security in place but this one guy in black managed to set fire to part of the memorial.
‘The police are hunting for him it’s a great shock.’
The group running the memorial said the damage was discovered by a volunteer at 7am on the morning of the attack.
Their statement added: ‘A display unit showed visible burn and charring marks, while a number of photographs and printed materials had been damaged by fire.
Some burnt items were later found discarded in a nearby bin. The site had last been seen intact at approximately 1:00 a.m. by an overnight volunteer.’
A spokesperson for the Persian Advice Bureau, who are on the scene, told Metro: ‘The world should know what is going on. Iranians are under threat now.
‘The attack is a disrespect for the 40,000 that were massacred on the 8th and 9th of January by the Iranian regime.
‘It is a disrespect on their lives that were given for freedom.’
Haleh Blake, co-founder of the activist group United4Mahsa, told Metro that the wall was first used by the Jewish community for pictures of the October 7 hostages and victims.
The community then gave the wall over to the local Iranian diaspora for photos of their loved ones.
Ms Blake said: ‘When they know someone has died, they print out a photo and take it to the wall. It is really significant and the community will be really emotional about it.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in north west London, said: ‘We recognise that this incident will heighten concerns in the Golders Green area, where residents have already faced a series of attacks.
‘We are working closely with community organisations and leaders, and want to reassure them that our protective security operation continues. Our local officers are working closely with Counter Terror Policing to support their investigation.
‘Since last month’s attack in Golders Green, we have stepped up our work to reassure communities. This includes armed police patrols as well as deployments of officers from Project Servator, who are specially trained to spot anyone who may be planning or preparing to commit criminal acts.’
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