Jewish cemetery hit by 117th attack in 15 years

The Guardian ^ | June 16, 2005 | Colin Blackstock

[Parmenio]

Police are investigating a racist attack on a Jewish cemetery in which 87 graves were desecrated. It is the 117th attack on the West Ham Jewish cemetery in east London in 15 years. Some of the graves had stood for 150 years but were pushed over or broken over the last 10 days. Others were daubed with graffiti, or sprayed with swastikas.

The doors to a mausoleum building in the centre of the cemetery had been forced open and more swastikas sprayed on the outside.

The damage was discovered by the caretaker of the cemetery in Buckingham Road, east London. Detective Inspector Steve Lane, from Newham police, said: "This was a despicable racist attack and we would ask anyone with information about who may be behind it to contact us as soon as possible."

The headstones of a 13-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy that had stood for more than 120 years were targeted in the attack on the cemetery which holds more than 40,000 graves dating from the 19th century.

Melvyn Hartog, head of burials at the United Synagogue, which covers Jewish cemeteries in London, said: "Some of the damaged stones have been there since the mid-19th century and they can never be replaced.

"We have laid them down flat in the correct place to try to retain some dignity, but it will take weeks before we can get it anywhere near to how it was.

"The most recent stone affected is from the 1920s so it will be impossible to replace the broken ones.

"Whoever did this would have had to have put some real effort in to push the stones over because they are deep in the ground. That is one thing that is so upsetting. These idiots have tried really hard to do damage. They have kicked in the door to a 19th century mausoleum dedicated to two members of the Rothschild family and have spraypainted a swastika ... on the side.

"These graves have been here in peace for 120 years and these mindless thugs have ruined that forever."

The incident is the third desecration of Jewish headstones in Britain this year.

Graves were smashed, pushed over and broken in an attack in Rainsough cemetery in Prestwich, Manchester, last week.

Swastikas and SS signs were daubed on 12 gravestones in Aldershot municipal cemetery in Hampshire in January. Five cemeteries were desecrated in 2004.

The desecrations come as the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain increase.

There were 532 such incidents last year, the highest since records began 20 years ago.

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[Parmenio]

Another sad story. I included in the post The Guardian's "Special Report" links.

[Millee]

My gosh, what does that really accomplish??

[garyhope]

So many video cameras in England, a higher percentage of most countries, I believe, why aren't there any at the cemetary? Why no security?

[Brilliant]

The people who do this kind of thing are sick. Hard to see how anyone but the Devil would want to do this.

[Millee]

Agreed. It's the same mentality of the creeps who desecrated Ryan White's(I think that was his name) grave so often his mother had him moved to an undisclosed location.

[desherwood7]

Considering this is England, I'm not suprised.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Canard]

That area of London is one of the places that the BNP poll highest. Sad as this is, the fact that it should be in that area does not greatly suprise me.