Starmer heckled with ‘Jew harmer’ shouts after London knife attack

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was booed and heckled with shouts of "Jew harmer" Thursday as the Jewish community in London accused him of doing too little to protect them, a day after a knife attack.

The crowd in Golders Green in north London where two Jewish men were stabbed in broad daylight shouted "Starmer is a coward" and "show your face".

Starmer was visiting emergency services staff following the attacks, the latest in a spate that have targeted the Jewish community. The area has a large Jewish populations.

Read moreUK police declare stabbing of two Jewish men a terrorist incident

There have been arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in the area in recent weeks. Last year, an attack claimed two lives at a synagogue in Manchester.

Hours earlier, the government announced extra money for security patrols outside synagogues and schools.

An extra £25 million ($33 million) would be allocated to fund the new security for the Jewish community, interior minister Shabana Mahmood said.

"People have a sense of deep insecurity ... and that is why the government is bringing forward investment, an additional £25 million to invest in the security of our Jewish community," Mahmood told Sky News.

"That will pay for more protective security for our Jewish synagogues, schools, places of worship, community centres," she added.

Starmer, convening a top-level meeting at his Downing Street office earlier, said the justice system's response to attacks must be "swift and visible".

His government on Thursday pledged funding to increase security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing. It announced 25 million pounds ($34 million) for more police patrols and protection around synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres.

Suspect enrolled in anti-extremism programme 

A 45-year-old man, a British national who was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child, remains in custody following the stabbings.

Detectives are working to determine a motive and whether there is any link to Iranian proxies.

The suspect, whose name hasn’t been released, had “a history of serious violence and mental health issues” and may have been involved in an “altercation” in another area of London hours before the Golders Green attack, the force said.

Watch moreBodycam footage shows police detaining London stabbing suspect

In 2020 he was referred to the government’s Prevent programme, which tries to steer individuals away from extremism. The police force said his file was closed later the same year, and did not disclose the reason for the referral.

A little-known group believed to be linked to Iran, said one of its "lone wolves" was behind the stabbings, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) – meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand – made the uncorroborated claim in a video posted online, according to SITE.

It has claimed responsibility for previous arson attacks in London targeting the Jewish community

Mahmood said the government would fast-track legislation to deal with "a gap in the law when it comes to organisations that may be linked to hostile states" and their proxies.

'Hate marchers'

Monitoring groups have reported a surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain, particularly since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The victims, aged 76 and 34, were in a stable condition in hospital.

The head of London's Metropolitan Police and a Labour Party lawmaker were also heckled at the scene hours after the attacks with shouts of "shame on you".

Rabbi Ben Kurzer, of the Golders Green Synagogue, said the government needed to do more to protect Britain's Jews.

"There is definitely not a significant police presence on a regular basis in these areas," he told BBC Radio.

"We have little bits here and there, but most of the security that we're seeing is private."

Kurzer also urged ministers to take action on pro-Palestinian marches with "lots of anti-Jewish rhetoric" which he accused of fuelling the attacks.

"I think they are hate marchers ... We all believe in free speech, but there's obviously a limit to free speech when it's leading to events such as we had yesterday," he said, without offering evidence to support the claim.

Last year, the government announced it would give police greater powers to restrict demonstrations.

They were aimed at allowing police to take into account the "cumulative impact" of frequent protests.

Some marchers have insisted that their protests intend to draw attention to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and are not way targeted at the Jewish community.

Jonathan Hall, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, on Wednesday said he believed it was impossible for such marches not to "incubate" antisemitism.

He described recent attacks on Jews as a "massive national security emergency" and called for a "moratorium" on pro-Palestinian marches.

Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK party, said at the scene that the authorities had been too "soft" on "discriminatory" chants.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)