Moment hooded vandal throws red paint over Jewish girls' school as Met Police probe late-night 'hate crimes' on two schools in north London as cops ramp up patrols amid 'massive increase' in anti-Semitic incidents since Hamas attacks
This is the shocking moment a vandal walks up to a Jewish girls school and hurls paint over the property, in what is being investigated as an anti-Semitic attack.
The school of target - Vishnitz Girls' school in Hackney - has 446 students and was attacked last Thursday, despite the Met Police's promise to step up patrols in amid a surge of anti-Semitic incidents.
A vandal, suspected to be a woman, wearing a mask and a hooded coat while carrying an umbrella, can be seen on closed circuit TV footage smearing the school just before 6am.
Paint was thrown over four parts of the school building, including the front door, before the vandal walked away.
According to the Jewish News, local sources said several girls, upon arrival in the morning, were so upset by what they saw that they ran home.
Scotland Yard have said that there had been a 700 per cent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the capital in the past two weeks when compared with the same period last year.
This is the shocking moment a vandal walks up to a Jewish girls school and hurls paint over the property, in what is being investigated as an anti-Semitic attack
A vandal hurled red paint over Beis Chinuch Lebonos Girls' School in Hackney, which police are investigating as a 'hate crime'
Paint was thrown over four parts of the school building, including the front door, before the vandal walked away
Earlier today, Beis Chinuch Lebonos Girls' School just a few hundred yards away – was also hit at 11am, whilst children were already in school.
This time paint was thrown over a security gate, which stopped the vandal getting to the school buildings.
The area, which has a large strictly Orthodox community, is being targeted by protesters in the wake of the Israel and Hamas war.
Footage caught one perpetrator wearing a mask and carrying an umbrella approach the front of the school and throw red paint over the front door before leaving.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police are now investigating both incidents.
A spokeswoman said tonight: ‘We are investigating incidents at two Jewish schools and treating these as hate crimes.
‘At 9:00hrs on Monday 16 October officers attended a school on Lordship Road, N16 after reports that red paint had been thrown onto the school building.
‘Police attended the scene, and spoke to a member of staff at the school.
‘Police were told that the incident took place on Thursday 12 October at 06:51hrs.
‘Police are aware of a second incident at a school in Woodberry Down N4, in which paint was also thrown onto the school building. We are investigating whether these two incidents are linked.
‘The incidents are being treated as hate crimes, at this early stage there have been no arrests, and the investigation is ongoing.’
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets said extra police patrols had been introduced in the area since the attacks in Israel to provide reassurance.
He added: ‘We are working closely with our partners in the Community Security Trust, the Shomrim, Hackney Council and other key local partners.
‘These incidents will be robustly investigated and we have been clear that we have a zero tolerance for hate crime.’
The vandal can be seen approaching the school walls with a pot of red paint
Vishnitz Girls' school – just a few hundred yards away – was also hit in the early hours of the morning on Monday
This time paint was thrown over a security gate, which stopped the vandal getting to the school buildings
A spokesperson for Shomrim, an organisation which organises civilian security patrols in Jewish areas, said: ‘The first attack happened early in the morning at the Vishnitz Girls School in Hackney.
‘The attacker threw red paint against a door and some windows and walked off.
‘There was another attack at the nearby BCL Girls school in Stamford Hill which had red paint thrown all over the front gates.
'This attack happened around 11am when both children and teachers were inside the school.
'Nobody had seen it happen at the time but on inspecting the CCTV the staff said that the vandal appeared to be a woman.
'The police are looking to see if both these attacks are linked and are possibly by the same person.
'We assume the red paint is meant to signify blood, in that the Jewish community has blood on its hands because of what is happening in Israel and Palestine.
'But these are just children, what have they got to do with any conflict in the Middle East? It's shameful.'
Representatives said Hackney Police was 'taking it very seriously, working with headteachers and giving them the support they need', adding that Vishnitz Girls' School was in discussions with the Community Security Trust (CST) about enhancing security.
It comes after the Met Police said they would step up patrols in London amid fears of anti semitic attacks and protests after the largest conflict for years between Israel and Palestinian militants broke out last Saturday.
Scotland Yard said it would increase the presence of officers in response to a 'number of incidents' – some shared on social media – of people celebrating the attack on Israel which has put the Middle East on the brink of all-out war.
The Met Police confirmed that officers will step up patrols in London amid fears of anti-Semitic attacks and protests
Since the Hamas incursion, which began on a Jewish holiday, talks between Home Secretary Suella Braverman (pictured), the Home Office and CST have been held remotely
The Met said that 'an appropriate policing plan' will be put in place as the force anticipates ongoing protests.
Conversations have also been held between the Home Office and the Community Security Trust (CST), which provides safety, security, and advice to the Jewish community.
It led to the decision to increase footfall to reassure local communities across Britain, the charity confirmed to MailOnline.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: 'We are aware of a number of incidents, including those that have been shared on social media, in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the border with Gaza.
'The Met has increased policing patrols across parts of London in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities.'
During the 2021 Gaza-Israel conflict, which began in early May, the CST documented a record 628 hate incidents directed towards British Jews between early May and early June, a fourfold increase on the same period the previous year.
The latest statistics on hate crimes, released this week, show a rise in religious-based hate crimes in 2022-23 in the UK.
Jewish communities are the second-most hit by religious-based hate crimes, accounting for 17 per cent of all those recorded.
It comes as pro-Israeli demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the BBC this evening to protest the corporation's decision not to call baby-slaughtering Hamas 'terrorists'
Organised by the National Jewish Assembly, the group gathered around the corner with Israeli flags and placards and marched over in a show of solidarity
The BBC has previously defended its decision not to describe Hamas militants as 'terrorists' in its coverage of the deadly attacks in Israel, despite receiving a huge backlash from politicians and those within the Jewish community
It comes as pro-Israeli demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the BBC this evening to protest the corporation's decision not to call baby-slaughtering Hamas 'terrorists'.
Organised by the National Jewish Assembly, the group gathered around the corner with Israeli flags and placards and marched over in a show of solidarity for the people of Israel.
The BBC has previously defended its decision not to describe Hamas militants as 'terrorists' in its coverage of the deadly attacks in Israel, despite receiving a huge backlash from politicians and those within the Jewish community.
The broadcaster's refusal continues despite King Charles condemning the 'barbaric acts of terrorism' while the Prince and Princess of Wales spoke of their distress following 'Hamas's terrorist attack'.
Instead the BBC refers to Hamas as a ‘militant’ group and described the slaughter of civilians as a ‘militant’ attack.
