CST Security Response to Paris Murders

CST, working with Police and Government, has increased its security cover at Jewish locations throughout the country. This is in response to the terrorist attack on Friday 9th January in Paris upon the Hyper Cacher Jewish store, in which four hostages were killed by a Jihadi terrorist.

The previous day, the same terrorist had killed a French Police officer. There is an as yet unconfirmed suggestion in the media that the terrorist had been intending to attack a Jewish primary school when he shot and killed the officer.

These murders were closely linked to the attack in Paris on Wednesday 7th January by two other Jihadi terrorists on the offices of a French satirical publication, Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 people were murdered.

CST is acutely aware of the importance of Jew-hatred in Jihadist ideology. The Charlie Hebdo publication was specifically targeted because of its ridiculing of Islam and Muhammad. The Hyper Cacher store was attacked simply because it was a Jewish location.

CST was in contact with Police as the hostage taking at the Jewish store was ongoing. This intensified as the tragic outcome became known and CST was quickly contacted by the Security Minister, James Brokenshire MP. CST and Police increased their operations at Jewish locations and neighbourhoods across Britain, and we will continue working in the closest partnership with Police and Government in the coming days and weeks. Similarly, synagogues and other Jewish locations and organisations were in close contact with CST as Friday’s tragedy unfolded.

Our working partnerships across the Jewish community are vital to us at all times, but especially so in such moments. We will continue communicating and working with all of our community to provide security and reassurance.

None of these responses would be possible were it not for the extensive partnerships and investments that have already been made in communal security by CST, our Jewish community, Police and Government. This includes CST spending over £5 million on security infrastructure at hundreds of communal buildings, and the thousands of dedicated volunteers whom CST has trained in recent years. The Police have been extremely supportive of these efforts, as have Government, in particular through the funding of security guards at Jewish schools (begun under Labour and seamlessly continued by the Coalition).

It is clear that the threat of Jihadi terrorism will not diminish anytime soon and we must all continue doing our utmost to unite and stand against it.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family, friends and colleagues of all those affected by these tragic events. We mourn for those who were murdered simply for being Jewish, for the Police officers who were murdered for defending our liberty, and for the magazine staff and contributors who were murdered for expressing their freedom of speech.

CST encourages British Jews to report any suspicious activity and antisemitic incidents as soon as possible to CST and Police. In an emergency, Police should be contacted immediately on 999.

Please follow CST Blog or social media on Twitter (@CST_UK) and Facebook (Community Security Trust) for further updates. For security advice or assistance, or to support our work as either a security volunteer or financial donor, please call your local CST office:

• London & southern regions: 0208 457 9999
• Manchester & northern regions: 0161 792 6666

CST 24/7 emergency numbers:

• London & southern regions: 0800 032 3263
• Manchester & northern regions: 0800 980 0668