CAMPAIGNERS have condemned an “appalling” arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances today, calling for unity against hatred and racism.

The incident in Golders Green, north-west London, was being treated as an anti-semitic hate crime by the Metropolitan Police but not immediately as terrorism, the Metropolitan Police said.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing for the area, said investigators are aware of a group apparently claiming responsibility for the attack online, but have not yet verified whether this is true.

A video has allegedly been posted on Telegram by an Islamist group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, showing a map of the location where the ambulances were kept and footage of them on fire.

CCTV shows three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles, which belong to Jewish community ambulance service Hatzola, before setting them on fire and running away.

Gas canisters kept in the ambulances exploded after they were set alight around 1.45am, forcing nearby homes to be evacuated.

The force of the blast blew out windows, including those of a nearby synagogue.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for communities to “stand together” in the face of the “horrific anti-semitic attack,” saying: “Anti-semitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who visited the scene, said: “Every decent person in this country needs to stand up and speak up against this vile anti-semitic hatred.”

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan described it as a “cowardly attack on the Jewish community,” saying: “Londoners will never be cowed by this kind of hatred and intimidation.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the Commons those involved will “face the consequences of this wicked crime.”

Julia Bard, of the Jewish Socialists’ Group, said the attack is “a frightening intensification of the growing expressions of anti-semitism we are seeing.”

She said: “Anti-semitism, like any other form of racism, is always wrong, in all circumstances.

“Hatzola means help or aid. That’s what they do: save lives by providing transport to hospital for whoever needs it, Jewish or non-Jewish.”

Ms Bard said the group condemns the act as well as those “who are now using this appalling incident to whip up more hatred between minority communities.”

“This should make us more determined to take a united stand against all racism from whichever quarter,” she said.

Jewish Voice for Liberation co-chairwoman Jenny Manson, who lives in the area, said: “This is a dangerous and vindictive attack on those ambulances, whether it is an anti-semitic crime or an act of terrorism.

“The fear generated by such attacks is very real… Recently, we [have become] conscious that hatred for Israeli actions, understandable to many Jews, is spilling into hatred for Jews.

“But conflating criticism of Israel and its actions with anti-semitism, such as calling out the genocide in Gaza, or the annexation of the West Bank as anti-semitic, can lead to the conclusion that Jews support Israeli atrocities.”

British Medical Association (BMA) council chairman Tom Dolphin condemned the “horrendous” incident, which involves both “abhorrent” anti-semitism and a “reprehensible” attack on healthcare services.

Amnesty International UK said such acts “should have no place in our society,” stating: “They are not isolated incidents, but part of a deeply troubling rise in anti-semitism and hate crime more broadly.

“We must stand together against anti-semitism in all its forms — whether it appears as violence, vandalism, abuse, or rhetoric.”

The Communist Party said it “utterly condemns” the “direct assault on the essential infrastructure of our communities,” adding: “To target the vehicles that provide emergency medical care is to target the most vulnerable members of the working class.

“The growth of hateful ideologies is no accident but the logical conclusion of a system that fosters suspicion and violence to maintain its own stability,” it said, slamming the act as an “anti-semitic hate crime.

“These ideologies are the tools of the ruling class, deployed to fracture the unity of the people and divert anger away from the architects of economic exploitation.”

It said the state has “proven itself unable and unwilling to provide genuine security against reactionary violence,” warning that “only effective defence against such terror is the organised solidarity of the working class.”