The U.K. government on Thursday said that the country is facing an antisemitism emergency and pledged to extend security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing which have sparked fear and anger amongst Jews.
The country’s official threat level from terrorism was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack in London, which police have called an act of terrorism. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack highly likely in the subsequent six months.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that his government “will do all the pieces in our power to stamp this hatred out” after two Jewish men, ages 34 and 76, were seriously injured in a stabbing in Golders Green, an area in north London that’s an epicenter of Britain’s Jewish community. Each men are in a stable condition.
But some in the neighborhood turned their anger on the federal government, which they are saying is failing to tackle antisemitism. Starmer was heckled by about 100 protesters holdings signs saying “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” when he visited Golders Green on Thursday.
The prime minister said in response that “I absolutely understand the high levels of tension and concern that there are.”
“Antisemitism is an old, old hatred. History shows that the roots are deep, and in the event you turn away, it grows back,” he said during a televised statement at 10 Downing St. “Yet far too many individuals on this country diminish it.”
Police have arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder and labeled the stabbing attack as an act of terrorism. Detectives are working to find out a motive and whether there’s any link to Iranian proxies.
The suspect, whose name hasn’t been released, had “a history of great violence and mental health issues,” police said. In 2020, he was referred to the federal government’s Prevent program, which tries to steer individuals away from extremism. The police force said that his file was closed later the identical 12 months, and didn’t disclose the explanation for the referral.
Stabbing follows arson attacks
Britain’s Jewish community, which numbers about 300,000 people, has faced growing attacks online and within the streets.
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The variety of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared for the reason that attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the following war in Gaza, in line with the Community Security Trust charity.
In October, an attacker drove his automotive into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur and fatally stabbed one man. One other man died throughout the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.
For the reason that start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, there have been a string of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London in addition to on opponents of the Iranian government.
Police say that 28 people have been arrested over those attacks, which didn’t cause any injuries. A handful have been charged and one teenager has been convicted after pleading guilty.
Police investigate potential link to Iran proxies
Several arson attacks have been claimed online within the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia. Israel’s government has described the group, whose name means the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, as a recently founded group with suspected links to “an Iranian proxy” that has also claimed responsibility for synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
A web-based post under the identical name also claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s stabbing. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that authorities were investigating whether that claim is credible or “opportunistic.”
Security experts have warned that the name could also be a flag of convenience reasonably than a coherent group, and its claims must be treated with caution.
The U.K. has accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil targeting Iranian opposition media outlets and the Jewish community. Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service says that greater than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots were disrupted within the 12 months ending in October.
The federal government said the increased threat level was not solely a results of the Golders Green attack, but additionally because of increased danger “from Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based within the U.K.”
The threat level stood at severe for much of the time between 2014 and February 2022, when it was lowered to substantial.
Government under pressure to tackle antisemitism
Starmer pledged that the attacks would bring a “swift and visual” criminal justice response. Mahmood said that she’s treating antisemitism as “an emergency,” describing it as the highest security issue she faced.
The federal government announced 25 million kilos ($34 million) for more police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centers, and Starmer said that the courts would speed up sentencing on antisemitic attacks as a deterrent.
But some Jews and others say the federal government has allowed an environment of antisemitism to grow. They are saying pro-Palestinian protests, held repeatedly since October 2023, have gone beyond criticism of Israel’s actions to foster an environment of intimidation and hatred against Jews.
The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, but some say chants resembling “From the river to the ocean, Palestine will probably be free” incite anti-Jewish hatred. Some protesters have been arrested for displaying support for Hamas, a banned organization within the U.K.
Jonathan Hall, the federal government’s former reviewer of terrorism laws, called for pro-Palestinian marches to be temporarily banned, saying they’d helped “incubate” antisemitism.
The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, backed calls for a ban, saying the marches “are used as a canopy for violence and intimidation against Jews.”
The federal government hasn’t backed a ban, but Starmer said that protesters who used the phrase “globalize the intifada” — seen by some as a call for attacks on Jews — must be prosecuted.
Starmer said that the federal government would fast-track powers “to tackle the malign threat posed by states like Iran — because we all know for a proven fact that they need to harm British Jews.”