A man wielding a crowbar yelled “F***ing Jews, kill all the Jews,” as he entered a polling station in northern London on Thursday, the London Evening Standard reported.
Just after 5:00 pm, at the Claptom Common, Stamford Hill, polling station, election staff had to rush to the aid of a Jewish man who was the target of most of the verbal abuse.
“This was a frightening experience for the victim,” Chaim Hochhauser, from the neighborhood watch group Shomrim, told the Standard. “I would like to thank the woman at the polling station who came to the aid of the victim and helped him leave the premises to find a safe place.”
The London police arrested the man on suspicion of a “racially/religiously aggravated public order offense.”
The Jewish community of the United Kingdom may have more large-scale concerns in the near-future. The Labour party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, gained several seats in Thursday’s election. British Jewish leaders have repeatedly accused Corbyn of doing too little to curb the proliferation of antisemitic rhetoric among his followers. Corbyn also harbors pro-Palestinian sympathies, further concerning some British Jews. A Jewish Chronicle poll from late May showed British Jewish support for Labour at just 13 percent.
JTA contributed to this article.