Keir Starmer faced a hostile reception in Golders Green on Thursday, as he visited the headquarters of the Jewish-led Hatzola ambulance service following a terrorist stabbing attack. Around 200 protesters gathered, booing and jeering the prime minister, with some holding posters reading “Keir Starmer Jew harmer”. The demonstration was organised by Stop the Hate, a group opposing pro-Palestinian marches.
One protester, Moshe, 20, said he felt betrayed by Starmer, adding that the prime minister’s decision to attend a closed meeting rather than visit the scene of the attack was insufficient. The clamour from the street was reportedly audible inside the building as Starmer thanked volunteers. Downing Street declined to comment on why he did not visit the stabbing site.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, arrived in Golders Green before Starmer and engaged with locals and broadcasters. He spoke in front of a memorial wall targeted by an arson attack, and later gave interviews in a kosher cafe. Farage promised to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and ban the Muslim Brotherhood, and called for more funding for community security group Shomrim.
Farage brushed off questions about past allegations of antisemitism, calling them “nonsense”. The terrorist incident, in which two Jewish men were stabbed, has intensified demands for action against antisemitism, with Conservatives leader Kemi Badenoch calling it a “national emergency”.
