JEWISH people in North London are organising a text message SOS service after a spate of anti-Semitic attacks.

Police confirmed yesterday that they are linking eight attacks in five weeks on the Jewish community in Stamford Hill.

Hackney Borough Police are leading an investigation into the attacks, which started with a 23-year-old man being kicked and punched as he walked past the Yeten Lev boys’ school in Casenove Road on December 6.

In subsequent attacks, a 24-year-old man was punched in the face on Kyverdale Road and a teenager was kicked to the ground.

A Nazi gesture was made to a 19-year-old man in a restaurant on Oldhill Road on January 5.

On the same day, a 49-year-old man in Leweston Place was head-butted. Minutes later, the same suspects attacked a 21-year-old and tried to steal his jacket. Two days later a green Volkswagen pulled up alongside two 18-year-old men. One of the men was punched in the face and the other escaped.

Police have described those responsible as a group of black and Asian men seen driving a green VW, possibly with the numberplate M947 GPP.

Now Jewish people have formed community protection networks that people in danger can contact via text messages.

“We do not want to call ourselves vigilantes, it’s called community protection,” David Berger, a sales representative from Stamford Hill, said. “Within a second or two, we can have 20 or 30 people on the scene after an incident.”

Police are examining the possibility that followers of an extremist Islamic group may be behind the attacks. In the past, leaflets have been distributed purporting to come from a militant organisation.

Yesterday afternoon, Hasidic Jews were looking over their shoulders as they left the synagogue on the corner of Kyverdale Road and Casenove Street. Women said that they were too scared to go out at night and that their children now feared using buses.

One woman, who gave her name as Hannah, said: “I’m too frightened to go down the road at night because a car might stop. I don’t trust anyone anymore.

“My uncles were attacked in their front garden. A person jumped out of a car and said shalom and head-butted one of them.”

Hannah’s friend, Esther, said that the violence seemed more concentrated than it had in the past. The women did not want their full names to be published for fear of being attacked.

“The kids are frightened like mad because these things are happening to people we know,” she said. “We are too scared to go out at night. We’ve all been sent test messages on our phones of numberplates that we should look out for.” Mr Berger has complained to the Metropolitan Police, claiming that they have not responded to attacks against Jews in the area. A letter from Detective Chief Inspector Dunn said that the complaint had been taken seriously.

Mike Whine, communications director at The Community Security Trust, said that he was unaware of Mr Berger’s group, but had organised “communication trees” through mobile phone networks. “We have been responsible for training people to provide defensive cover,” he said.

“In the event of something happening, there are communication trees that would come into effect.”

Chief Superintendent Simon Pountain, the Hackney Borough Commander, said that all reported incidents of violence against the Jewish community were investigated.

“I understand there is concern in the community who are visible because of their religion,” he said.

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