Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to crack down on those 'venerating the murder of Jews' at protest marches, following a stabbing attack in Golders Green that raised the UK terror threat level to 'severe'. Speaking after visiting the scene in north-west London, Starmer called on the public to 'open their eyes to Jewish pain' and promised to do 'everything in our power to stamp this hatred out'.
The UK terrorism threat level was raised to severe by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) on Thursday evening, meaning a terrorist attack is 'highly likely'. This comes after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green on Wednesday. The suspect, understood to be 45-year-old Essa Suleiman, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody. He was referred to the Prevent counter-extremism programme in 2020 but cleared within six weeks.
Starmer highlighted a series of antisemitic attacks, including an arson attempt in Hendon, an attack on the Jewish ambulance service, a firebomb at a Harrow synagogue, and the deaths of two Jewish men at a Manchester synagogue last year. He criticised pro-Palestine marches where some protesters chant or display antisemitic slogans, stating: 'If you are marching with people wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out, you are venerating the murder of Jews.'
The prime minister also pledged £25 million in additional funding for Jewish security services and stronger powers to shut down charities promoting antisemitic extremism. He promised to prevent hate preachers from entering the country and to speed up sentencing for antisemitic attacks. The government is reviewing laws on public order and hate crime, with recommendations expected within weeks.
Police are reviewing whether marches should go ahead in the coming weeks, but the government is not considering a pause on pro-Gaza marches, as suggested by the independent reviewer on terrorism. Stop the War, an organiser of pro-Palestine marches, dismissed links between the attacks and the demonstrations as 'false'.
