13 October 2024 , 11:06
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Golfers in northwest London were taken aback by a disturbing discovery after the club grounds were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
Several sand bunkers were daubed with antisemitic words and signs on a course in Hendon.
The symbols and words were discovered on Friday morning at the club which is located in an area with a significant Jewish population and just minutes from a synagogue.
The club said in a statement that it had been the victim of race-related vandalism and that antisemitic wording and symbols were drawn in a number of the bunkers.
Footage posted on social media shows the Nazi symbol on the sand.
Other bunkers had ‘f*** the Jews’ and ‘Heil Hitler’ written across them. The messages have since been removed by the club.
The club said it was ‘subject to a despicable act of racism’ overnight, describing it as an ‘act of anti-Semitism.’
It said its board felt ‘appalled and sickened had this awful act been directed at any other minority group.’
To make the distressing incident even worse, it came hours before Yom Kippur, the most solemn religious holiday in the Jewish calendar.
Local residents took to social media to express their shock after the incident.
One person wrote: ‘Disgusting! Hope there’s CCTV somewhere.’
Others called the vandals ‘scum’ and called the attack ‘disgraceful.’
The MP for Hendon David Pinto-Duschinsky said on X: ‘I am aware of the disgusting antisemitic message/graffiti that was left at Hendon Golf Club.
It’s utterly appalling. I’ve reported it to the Police and the CST and will be talking to the Club. It’s completely unacceptable. I want the people who did this caught and punished.’
The club said it had reported the incident to the Community Security Trust and the police.
One resident asked if the club became a target after it hosted an event for Rosh Hashanah service and dinner last week. It marks the New Year in the Jewish calendar observed ten days before Yom Kippur.
The suburb of Hendon has a significant Jewish population, estimated to be around 31% of the area’s demographic.