Starmer Heckled Amid Golders Green Visit After Terror Attack

Keir Starmer was heckled by protesters while visiting Golders Green after the London neighbourhood endured a terror attack.

Two Jewish men, Shilome Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, were attacked on Wednesday in what police have described as a terrorist incident.

A 45-year-old man – a British national who was born in Somalia – has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Protesters surrounded the prime minister’s car while he was driving to the area to express his condolences on Thursday afternoon.

The crowds booed him, shouting, “Keir Starmer, Jew Harmer,” “show your face” and “traitor”, while some protesters carried signs with similar messages.

The outrage comes amid fears of rising antisemitism in the UK following a spate of attacks on the Jewish community.

The PM told criminal justices agencies in Downing Street this morning that it is key to come together “very quickly now to take the necessary action”.

While praising the “incredible” response from the first responders on Wednesday, Starmer said: “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 safety, about identity.

“It’s really important that we are able collectively to demonstrate that the response will be swift and visible.”

The PM added that the government will “stand with and support our Jewish community”.

He said: “It’s our fight as well. It’s the fight of everyone in this country, because it’s about what sort of a country that we want to live in.”

The government also announced an extra £25 million in funding for security within Jewish communities on Thursday morning.

Jonathan Powell KC, who works as the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism and state threats legislation, told the BBC’s The World Tonight that attacks on Jewish people in the UK now pose the “biggest national security emergency” since 2017.

However, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was treating it as an “emergency” not a “national emergency” because the phrase has connotations for democracy.

Speaking a week out from the local elections in England and devolved elections in Scotland and Wales, the cabinet minister warned using such a phrase could end up suspending parts of the democracy.

“That’s not quite where we are,” Mahmood added, but said this is a top priority for her.

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