Britain pledges £250 million to protect Jewish communities

Britain will spend over £250 million ($335 million) across the next three years to better protect its Jewish ​communities, the government said on Monday, following a ‌series of recent antisemitic attacks.

The funding will deliver over 500 additional officers across England and Wales, boosting security in Jewish neighbourhoods and ​around schools, synagogues and community centres, the government ​said.

There has been a string of attacks on ⁠Jewish-linked sites in the capital, including the torching of four ​Jewish community ambulances in March. In April, Britain raised its national ​terrorism threat level to "severe" from "substantial" in response to an antisemitic stabbing attack in north London.

The new package, which is on top of a £25 million ​funding announced following the stabbings in April, includes around ​300 additional officers in London and around 80 in Greater Manchester — ‌where ⁠a synagogue was attacked last year — alongside £43 million for forces serving other areas with significant Jewish populations.

"The rise in antisemitism we have seen in recent years is a test of ​our values ​as a ⁠country and tackling it has been central to my leadership from day one," outgoing Prime ​Minister Keir Starmer said in Monday's statement.

London's ​Metropolitan ⁠Police is due to receive £86 million from the new funding, while £59 million was earmarked for counter-terrorism policing.

Police will increase patrols ⁠at ​times of heightened vulnerability, offering visible ​reassurance and helping to deter hate crime and antisemitic incidents, the government ​said.

-Reuters