Metropolitan Police have charged a 61-year-old man from Ealing with 11 counts of racially aggravated criminal damage following a series of anti-Muslim incidents at the Palestinian Mission in Hammersmith, as well as mosques and businesses across West London.
Jonathan Katan has also been charged with one count of a racially aggravated section 5 Public Order Act offence and one count of racially aggravated section 4a Public Order Act offence.
He is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 17 May 2024
Katan was arrested on 27 November 2023 after red paint was thrown or sprayed at locations in the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, and Ealing on 11 separate occasions between 16 October and 18 November 2023
Detective Superintendent Figo Forouzan, who leads the investigation said: “These charges have come as a result of diligent police work by officers who have gathered evidence while providing support and reassurance to those affected.”
Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson said: “Officers have worked incredibly hard with the Crown Prosecution Service and communities in both boroughs of Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham to get an arrest and a charge in this case.
“This demonstrates how seriously we take allegations of hate crime against any of our communities.
“While criminal proceedings are now active, I ask the community to refrain from speculating on this case, particularly on social media, to avoid any risk of prejudice.”