Belgium’s decision to deploy soldiers to protect Jewish sites comes just one day after four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola Northwest were deliberately set ablaze in Golders Green, north London — underscoring the growing threat to Jewish communities across Europe as the Middle East conflict escalates.
Key implications for the UK:
- Shared threat: The attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands — including an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam and an explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam — mirror the pattern of antisemitic violence now seen in London. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken’s decision to put “soldiers back on the streets” raises questions about whether the UK should consider similar measures.
- Security coordination: The Belgian deployment, in collaboration with federal police, targets synagogues and Jewish schools. In the UK, the Community Security Trust (CST) already advises Britain’s estimated 290,000 Jews on security matters, but Monday’s Golders Green attack has prompted calls for a review of current protections.
- European trend: The attacks in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK appear to form part of a coordinated pattern. An Iran-aligned group has claimed responsibility for the London firebombing. The explosion at a synagogue in Liège earlier this month was also described by authorities as an antisemitic act.
- UK government response: Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the London attack as “a deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack.” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper faces growing pressure to outline what additional measures will be taken to protect Jewish communities.
- Counter-terrorism implications: While the London attack is being treated as a hate crime, the investigation is being led by counter-terrorism officers. The Belgian deployment of military personnel signals a recognition that the threat level requires a national security response.
The UK government has not yet indicated whether it will follow Belgium’s lead in deploying military personnel. However, security analysts note that the scale and coordination of recent attacks across Europe may force a reassessment of current protective measures.
By Alexander Chituc BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) – Soldiers were deployed on the streets of leading Belgian cities on Monday to bolster security for the Jewish community, after what officials said were antisemitic attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The move follows an explosion this month at a synagogue in Liège that authorities called an antisemitic act.
“From today we’re putting soldiers back on the streets in Brussels and Antwerp because safety is a basic right,” Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said in a post on X on Monday.
The deployment, in collaboration with federal police, will provide security at Jewish sites including synagogues and schools, Belgian authorities said in a press release last week.
Antwerp “is again a little safer….. the Jewish community too. We say NO to antisemitism!” Francken said on Monday.
The upgrade in security also follows an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam and an explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam in neighbouring the Netherlands.
Dutch police have arrested five suspects, aged 17 to 19, over the synagogue attack in Rotterdam.
The U.S. embassy in Oslo was also targeted in a bombing earlier this month branded by Norwegian investigators as an act of terrorism. None of the attacks caused injuries.
A Belgian defence ministry spokesperson said on Monday that soldiers would be deployed in three different phases: First in Brussels and Antwerp, later in Liège.
Rights advocates have raised concerns about possible attacks against Jewish communities around the world following the launch of the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community organisation in north London were set ablaze on Monday.
(Reporting by Alexander Chituc; Editing by William Maclean)
Reuters wire copy published under license. UK impact analysis by Credibility News
