Residents of one of the most ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in London were shocked to discover that one of the streets in the neighborhood was displaying a questionable warning signpost, bearing a black silhouette of what appeared to be an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man.
British news network BBC reported on Wednesday that the neighborhood watch known as the Shomrim, which is working for the Jewish community in London in order to combat anti-Semitism, noticed the traffic sign near a synagogue in Stamford Hill neighborhood, and reported the incident to the police. The sign may have been placed during the Purim celebrations.
Shadow Home Secretary and MP for Hackney North Diane Abbott described it as “disgusting” and “unacceptable” in a tweet.
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Appalling. We agree with our local #Hackney MP @HackneyAbbott that these “signs” are disgusting and unacceptable. https://t.co/uSV45C2FgH
— Hackney Law Centre (@HackneyLawCentr) March 15, 2017
More than 20,000 Orthodox Jews live in Stamford Hill. Barry Bard, one of the neighborhood watch “guards,” told the Evening Standard that “The sign has caused a lot of concern amongst local Jewish residents, especially as it is in such close proximity to a synagogue.”
The Community Security Trust charity organization, which documents anti-Semitic incidents and provides security to the Jewish community in Britain, published a report last month, according to which there was a record number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2016 across Britain.
According to the organization, last year, there were more than three anti-Semitic incidents a day on average with an overall increase of 36 percent compared to 2015.
By Ynet News
