Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to crack down on those “venerating the murder of Jews” at protest marches after the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe” in the wake of the Golders Green stabbing. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) upgraded the threat level on Thursday evening, meaning a terrorist attack is now assessed as “highly likely”. It is the second-highest of five tiers, with “critical” indicating an imminent attack.
Starmer made the pledge after visiting emergency workers and community leaders near the scene in north-west London where two Jewish men were stabbed on Wednesday. During the visit, he was heckled by Stop the Hate protesters, with one calling him a “traitor” for failing to keep Jews safe. The prime minister acknowledged the fear among British Jews, highlighting recent antisemitic attacks including an arson attempt in Hendon, an attack on a Jewish ambulance service, a firebomb at a Harrow synagogue, and two deaths at a Manchester synagogue last year.
In his strongest remarks yet on antisemitism, Starmer said people marching alongside those wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out were “venerating the murder of Jews”. He added that those chanting “globalise the intifada” should be prosecuted, describing it as “extreme racism” that has left the Jewish community “scared, intimidated, wondering if they belong”. He called on the public to “open their eyes to Jewish pain”.
Starmer promised to increase powers to target antisemitic preachers, and it is understood that a review of laws on public order and hate crime will be handed to ministers within weeks. He also announced £25 million in additional funding for Jewish security services and stronger powers to shut down charities promoting antisemitic extremism. Police said they would review whether pro-Palestine marches scheduled for coming weeks should go ahead.
The government’s counter-extremism scheme, Prevent, has come under scrutiny after it emerged that the suspect in the Golders Green attack, understood to be 45-year-old Essa Suleiman, was referred to the programme in 2020 and cleared within six weeks. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody. One organiser of pro-Palestine marches, Stop the War, dismissed any link between the marches and recent antisemitic attacks as “false”.
