Jewish Community Rallies Against ‘Keir Starmer Jew Harmer’ After Attack
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood were subjected to “loud and sustained” booing as they arrived at Golders Green, the scene of a terrorist attack this week.
There are signs of serious discontent within Britain’s Jewish community following a series of terrorist and criminal attacks on Jewish targets in recent months, with senior state officials, including the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary (Home Secretary) and the head of the Metropolitan Police, all booed when they visited the Golders Green area for press conferences and photo ops. Meanwhile, Britain’s reform leader Nigel Farage has called on the government to heed his long-standing demands that radical Islamist elements in society be dealt with by the state, including by banning extremist groups.
On Wednesday, a Somali migrant now identified as Essa Suleiman, 45, allegedly went on a knife rampage in the Golders Green neighborhood, stabbing two Jewish men before being approached by police and local Jewish security volunteers.
The anti-government protests in response to Wednesday’s stabbings, which police are calling a potential terrorist attack, were historically unusual in Britain, where public reactions to mass casualty incidents and terror attacks are rarely spontaneous. For decades, what is seen in public has generally been gently guided behind the scenes by specially trained police officers and other government figures, which is seen by Whitehall as the key to preventing further bloodshed in recriminations or even widespread race riots.
But such displays are becoming more and more common. As reported, senior government and police officials were booed after the deadly Manchester synagogue attack last year, and Prime Minister Starmer was aggressively heckled after the 2024 Southport attacks.
When Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley visited the scene of the Golders Green attack to speak to cameras on Wednesday afternoon, he was booed loudly, causing his remarks to be interrupted several times. Following him was the local MP, who was also struggling to make himself heard over a chorus of angry voices. Today the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister also arrived for their own photo opportunity and were again greeted by angry voices.
Guido Fawkes posted footage of the finish and described it as “loud and sustained booing”. THE Daily Telegraph said the Prime Minister had been heckled with cries of “traitor” and “shame on you”, and the Independent said the same mood continued when it was time for the prime minister to leave shortly afterwards, and that his motorcade was booed as he left.
On both days a spontaneous protest took place in Golders Green, with participants demanding resignations and for the government to stop talking about tackling antisemitism and start doing it. Banners, placards and chants at the protest included messages such as “Keir Starmer Jew Harmer”, “Anti-Zionism = Terrorism”, “Mark Rowley, resign now” and “Shame on Sadiq Khan”. A banner showing German soldiers from the 1930s attacking Jews carried the caption: “Are we really there yet? Stop the new hate movement.”
Even more unusual, one of the victims was able to speak out and criticize the government immediately after the attack. Speaking to ITV from her hospital bed, Shloime Rand, 34, said the government was failing. Regarding the situation within the Jewish community, Rand said:
People are really worried, people are afraid, people are uncomfortable walking in the street, people are obviously accusing the government of not doing anything about what’s happening… It’s really been a few months since our community suffered from these types of attacks. And now it’s going on and trying to kill people and it’s really terrible.
He also said:
I really feel like the government has failed us…permanently [hold the government resp0onsible]the streets of London are not safe for Jews. There is the government, it is the one that can take care of the problems, and it is not doing its job.
On Thursday it was revealed that suspect Essa Suleiman, 45, arrested at the scene, had previously been referred to the UK government’s counter-extremism programme, Prevent, and had arrived in the UK legally as a Somali migrant and was subsequently issued a British passport. He is said to suffer from “serious violence and mental health problems” and is being investigated by police as a possible perpetrator of a third attack earlier on Wednesday in Southwark, south-east London.
Officers said they were called to Great Dover Street on Wednesday morning, which links Borough High Street to Old Kent Road and is mainly residential with a handful of other premises including a Catholic school, probation service offices and pubs. Police said a man armed with a knife got into an “altercation” at a home address on the road, which resulted in “minor injuries” to the occupant. It is alleged Suleiman had previously been imprisoned for stabbing a police officer and his dog.
As well as the Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Chief Constable, several other political figures also visited Golders Green and met the local community. One of them was Brexit pioneer and British reform leader Nigel Farage, who addressed the crowd alongside one of the Jewish Shomrim security volunteers who helped police neutralize and arrest the suspect on Wednesday. Of the community safety charity, Mr Farage said: “I have just met the boys from Shomrim who, of course, were the first on the ground… a bit of central funding wouldn’t hurt. They are brave boys, they were the first to arrive yesterday, at great risk to their lives.”
Referring to the attack and the government’s inaction, Mr Farage said:
…what happened here yesterday; shocking, appalling, horrible, but in many ways I fear it is not surprising. We know that the growth of hatred, anti-Semitism, a two-tiered approach to discourse and behavior have enabled and encouraged much of this… every time this happens we receive statements from the Prime Minister about his thoughts, love and prayers for the Jewish community. But frankly, we haven’t taken any action of any kind.
…I fear we have allowed marches accompanied by chants in the streets of London and other cities, but we have done nothing. The government has been weak, always weak. I don’t pretend we can reverse hatred overnight, we can’t. It’s there, it’s embedded, it’s going to be a threat – we need to be upfront about it – for many, many years to come. The time has come for firm resolve, for government action, to say what the difference is between what is right and what is wrong, regardless of the electoral consequences in one or two major city centers. [areas] in this country.
Mr Farage made recommendations for immediate action, some of which he had been calling for publicly for years. Iran’s IRGC terror group and the Muslim Brotherhood should be banned, Farage said, stressing that they promote a “very dangerous radical agenda… an organization that is doing its best to spread terrorism.” He also called for the Iranian embassy to be closed and said a government under his control would expel the perpetrator of the Golders Green attack.
Such calls for the government to actually do something are growing, with international observers expressing dismay at the British state’s general approach of strong statements followed by nothing. As stated previously:
Isareli’s Foreign Office said in a statement that there had been “enough words” about anti-Semitism in Britain and that “the UK must act decisively and urgently”. They said:
After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now targeted Jews in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer pretend the situation is under control.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statements are no substitute for tackling the roots of anti-Semitism simmering across the UK. British Jews should not need security patrols or emergency volunteers to live openly as Jews.
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis also said the time for discussions was over. He said:
Following the anti-Semitic stabbing attack on two Jews in the streets of Golders Green this morning, words of condemnation are no longer enough. This must be a moment that demands meaningful action from every institution, every community, every leader, and every honest person in our country. It is a hatred that we must face together.
President Trump’s special envoy on anti-Semitism, Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun, echoed the same notes, adding:
Heartbroken and outraged by another violent anti-Semitic attack – again in the UK. Enough is enough. The UK must take decisive action now to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities.
