The Metropolitan Police has named the man charged with throwing red paint at the Palestine Mission building in Hammersmith. Jonathan Katan, 61, from Ealing, has been charged with 11 counts of racially aggravated criminal damage following a spate of incidents across West London.
He 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. Katan was arrested on November 27 last year after red paint was thrown or sprayed at the Palestinian Mission along with mosques and businesses.
The incidents took place in Hammersmith and Fulham, and Ealing on 11 separate occasions between October 16 and November 18. He is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 17.
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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, in charge of policing in West Area which covers Hammersmith, added: “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.”
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