British prime minister Keir Starmer was booed and heckled during a visit to north London on Thursday, April 30th—one day after two Jewish men were stabbed and slashed at in a serious attack on their community.
One victim has blamed Labour for making London “not safe for Jewish people.”
The initial incident took place in Golders Green, an area with a large Jewish population, where a 45-year-old Somali-born British citizen is alleged to have gone on a Jew hunt. He now faces charges of attempted murder.
The official response to the atrocity did not go as planned, with members of the public shouting “Starmer is a coward” and “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” as the PM met with representatives of the emergency services.
The attack is the latest in a series of incidents targeting Jewish residents, including recent arson attacks on synagogues and and other Jewish sites in the area in recent weeks.
A similar attack last year claimed two lives at a synagogue in Manchester.
Earlier in the day, the government announced an additional £25 million (€29.25 million) in funding to boost security around Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centres. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the move was aimed at addressing a growing sense of insecurity within the community.
The attack has intensified political pressure on the government. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said official responses that “justice will be served” were insufficient, calling for tougher measures against extremist groups.
Farage has also previously linked antisemitic attacks with
the failures of uncontrolled immigration and the toxic cocktail of multiculturalism with a lack of integration.
The Reform leader also called on officials to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, clamp down on the operations of the Muslim Brotherhood, and put a stop to “hate marches.”
