Prime Minister Heckled in Golders Green Visit
The prime minister was heckled during a visit to Golders Green, a north London suburb where two Jewish men were stabbed on Wednesday.
Sir Keir Starmer met with leaders from the Shomrim security group and Hatzola, a Jewish medical charity whose ambulances were set on fire in an arson attack last month.
The prime minister was accompanied by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, and Sarah Sackman, a justice minister and the local MP.
On Thursday, the government announced an increase of £25 million in funding for protecting Jewish communities, raising the total to £58 million.
This funding will support enhanced police presence and patrols in Jewish areas, deployment of specialist and plain-clothes officers within the Jewish community, and protective security for synagogues, schools, and community centres.
Protests and Community Concerns
Upon his arrival in Golders Green, the prime minister was confronted by protesters holding signs and chanting "Keir Starmer, Jew Harmer."
Additional demonstrators shouted "traitor" as the prime minister's car passed by.
Those gathered outside Hatzola's offices expressed fear about being Jewish in the UK and called for greater protection of British Jews.
"I don't know if I should be reconsidering where in the world I should go, because I don't feel safe as a British Jew. I don't feel safe. I do not feel supported," said Sophia Ziff.
She added, "I just feel like all the platitudes are like 'thoughts and prayers' and 'so sorry' and 'horrific' but what are you actually doing?"
Prime Minister's Remarks on Recent Attacks
Speaking ahead of his visit, Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the ongoing nature of attacks on the Jewish community.
"There's no getting away from the fact that this was not a one-off, this has been a series of attacks on our Jewish community, particularly in recent weeks.
And there is a very deep sense of anxiety, of concern about security, about safety, about identity."
The Golders Green stabbing is the latest in a series of incidents targeting Jewish people, including an October 2025 knife attack at a Manchester synagogue that resulted in two worshippers being killed.
Political Reactions and Calls for Increased Security
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told BBC Radio London that the community feels the government is not doing enough.
"The community don't think that they [the government] are doing enough," she said.
She called for an "increased police presence" and expressed uncertainty about whether the £25 million funding boost would suffice.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the prime minister to implement "additional protective security measures to the Jewish community without delay."
He said this should include "high-visibility police protection" for synagogues and Jewish areas.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticized the government’s response to pro-Palestine marches.
"The government has been weak, weak, weak on all of this," he said, calling for tougher action.
Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, recommended a "moratorium" on pro-Palestinian marches, which he stated "incubate" antisemitism.
Stop The War Coalition's Response
The Stop The War Coalition, planning a demonstration on 16 May, rejected connections between antisemitic attacks and pro-Palestinian marches.
"Attempts by some to connect the series of horrific antisemitic attacks in north London with the marches in solidarity with Palestine are false.
We condemn unequivocally these attacks, as we do all forms of antisemitism and racism - no one should be attacked for their race or religion."
The organisation added that its marches are "supported by many Jewish people who attend" and are not "hate marches" but "expressions of solidarity and support for those under attack."
Additional Reactions and Police Incident
Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader of England and Wales, described the attack as "horrendous."
Separately, Polanski shared a social media post criticizing police for "repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head" while he was incapacitated by a Taser.
This followed social media clips of the arrest related to the Golders Green attack, which appeared to show two police officers kicking the suspect in the head multiple times.
The Metropolitan Police released body-worn camera footage capturing officers shouting repeatedly for the suspect to "get down on the ground" before deploying a Taser, and then ordering him to "drop the knife."
The force stated that "the suspect refused to show his hands, was violent and continued to pose a clear threat," adding that he "continued to try to attack and stab" officers during detention.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley commended the officers' bravery.
"These were not armed officers and they feared he was carrying an explosive device."
The police noted that the suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
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