As we watch in horror the events in Israel and Gaza, I stand with our communities here in Hornsey & Wood Green who are feeling anxious and scared.

For those in Hornsey & Wood Green with loved ones in the region, I know this is a particularly worrying time.  There is also an understandable fear that conflict in the Middle East can lead to a rise in hate crime right here on our streets.  None of us here are responsible for the actions of those thousands of miles away and I have been deeply saddened that the Community Safety Trust and the Metropolitan Police have reported a steep increase in anti-Semitic incidents, including abuse and assaults. Tell Mama has reported a tripling of cases to their services, including reports of Islamophobia threats, abuse, and assaults.

Nobody should feel vulnerable because of their faith, and I believe there must be zero-tolerance to any intimidation or harassment directed towards our communities and against those who spread hate on our streets.

Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has been clear that a Labour Government would strengthen hate crime laws to make it easier to tackle and monitor hate and ensure that anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and hateful abuse that falls below the criminal threshold is still recorded by police including the perpetrators’ names and details.  Labour has also called for a rapid review of the laws around hateful extremism.  Hateful vitriol devastates lives, corrodes communities, and creates real fear here in the UK – and I fully support the Police having the powers they need to act.

Here in Haringey we have a rich, proud history of interfaith work, including the efforts of Rabbi David Mason during his time at Muswell Hill Synagogue and Bibi Khan at Wightman Road Mosque.  This has done so much to promote dialogue, bring people together and challenge those who seek to divide and its work has never been more important.  During these dark times, I have attended our local interfaith group to talk about how we as a community can come together.  I have also attended two local synagogues to take part in prayers for Israel and I have visited the London Islamic Cultural Society mosque together with Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP , and Haringey Council Leader Cllr Peray Ahmet to talk about how events in the Middle East, Hamas’ attacks & the humanitarian emergency in Gaza continue to cause huge pain in our communities here in UK.

My office is in regular contact with Haringey Police, and I welcome the additional reassurance patrols that are already taking place around schools, faith buildings and affected businesses, and the ongoing work with Jewish and Muslim communities locally and with our schools to ensure that everyone knows they have support to feel safe and protected.

During my speech in the King’s Speech debates on 7 November, I spoke about the importance of interfaith work and our community coming together at this desperate time.  Watch my speech here:

Anyone with any concerns, or who has witnessed any offences, should contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

If you experience or witness antisemitism you can contact the CST.

If you experience or witness islamophobia you can contact Tell Mama.

Across the city there has sadly been an increase in hate crime and offensive graffiti.  To ensure that these are dealt with swiftly, Haringey council has introduced a protocol for dealing with graffiti out of hours. Should residents see offensive, hate graffiti they can call the council out of hours phone number on 0208 489 0000 to report it. This information will be passed to Veolia for rapid removal of the graffiti. Should a resident witness a hate crime they are reminded to call the police, either on 101 or 999 in an emergency. 

If you want to donate to help those affected by the ongoing conflict, the Mayor of London has provided a list of organisations doing vital work in the region.