Keir Starmer ducked a showdown with angry locals in Golders Green on Thursday, leading to him being branded a ‘coward’ and a ‘traitor’.
The Prime Minister was booed as his convoy was whisked through the crowds for a closed-door meeting nearly a mile from where Wednesday’s stabbings unfolded.
After meeting police and the CPS at Downing Street, Sir Keir finally travelled to north London, trailing in the wake of Kemi Badenoch, who was there within hours of the horror, and Nigel Farage, who was out speaking to locals on Thursday morning.
The road outside his meeting was lined with residents carrying ‘Keir Starmer: Jew Harmer’ posters. From No 10, Sir Keir had pledged a ‘swift, agile and visible’ response to the attack.
‘The only thing swift and agile was his exit while being booed and heckled by angry local people,’ said Alex Hearn, from Labour Against Antisemitism, after the PM’s 90-minute visit.
‘It is almost unheard of for Britain’s Jewish community to protest like this but they are sick of the meaningless platitudes when attacks keep happening day in, day out.’
Sir Keir’s arrival 24 hours after the double stabbing was described as his ‘Grenfell moment’, referring to Theresa May refusing to meet with residents after the 2017 tower block fire.
Mike Freer, the former Conservative MP for Golders Green, said: ‘Theresa May was pilloried by the opposition because she didn’t engage with the victims of Grenfell Tower. Has the Prime Minister learnt nothing?
The Prime Minister dodged the crowds and met members of Shomrim, the Jewish community security organisation
Starmer avoided the showdown with angry locals and was branded a ‘coward’ and a ‘traitor’. Pictured: a convoy of cars carrying the PM driving past protesters in Golders Green today
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch arrived before the PM at the scene within hours of the horror and spoke with members of the local community in Golders Green
Reform Party leader Nigel Farage was out on Thursday morning speaking to locals and the media
‘The community is fed up with warm words and photoshoots – they want concrete action to keep their community safe.’
The UK terror threat was last night raised to ‘severe’ – the second highest level.
Read More
EXCLUSIVE Welcome to Boycott Britain: Labour accused of turning a blind eye ‘to anti-Semitism in town halls’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘As the threat level rises, I urge everyone to be vigilant as they go about their daily lives, and report any concerns they have to the police.’
She vowed to ‘do everything in our power to rid society of the evil of anti-Semitism’.
On Thursday night, suspect Essa Suleiman, 45, was still being questioned over the stabbing of Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, at midday on Wednesday.
The Jewish community is furious at Sir Keir’s slow reaction. On Thursday he responded by holding a roundtable discussion in Downing Street where he promised yet another ‘discussion’ on how to move forward.
But instead of visiting the synagogue where the attack started, he instead went to Pearl House, the headquarters of Jewish ambulance service Hatzola, nearly a mile away.
His convoy of Range Rover Sentinels and Audi A8s finally arrived shortly after 12.15pm for a closed-door meeting with first responders.
Protesters held placards criticising the Prime Minister on Thursday morning following the stabbing on Wednesday
Bodycam footage of the horrifying incident in Golders Green shows the alleged terrorist walk towards officers while refusing to drop the knife
The suspect Essa Suleiman (pictured), 45, is a Somali-born British national with a long history of violence and mental health problems
Furious locals crowded by the gates and chanted: ‘Keir Starmer’s a traitor.’
Sir Keir sat down with volunteers of Hatzola as well as Shomrim, the Jewish community security force that helped detain the suspect.
Read More
Revealed: The Jewish man caught up in two antisemitic attacks in the space of nine days
Sources said some of those meeting with Starmer were angry about ‘hollow words’ in the lead-up to the attack after previous promises to do more to counter anti-Semitism.
But Ben Grossnass, a Shomrim volunteer who met Sir Keir, described the meeting as ‘very productive’ and said: ‘He was very much in listening mode.
‘He encouraged everyone to speak freely. Everyone voiced their opinions. They brought it up themselves, that words are hollow and we need action.’
Residents gathered outside were furious when the convoy sped back to Downing Street without stopping. One, who gave his name as Elliot, said: ‘We see Starmer to be completely ineffective in much the same way that Theresa May responded to the tragedy at Grenfell. We need to see tangible change.’
Levi Schapiro, founder of the Jewish Community Council, added: ‘The only swift action was his exit from Golders Green.
‘The Prime Minister’s response is far too little, too late. The damage is done, people in the Jewish community have no confidence in the PM.’
Sir Keir pledged more money for Jewish security services and spoke of the fear in the community, adding: ‘The truth is this attack is not a one-off.’
He said: ‘People are scared, scared to show who they are in their community, scared to go to synagogue to practise their religion, scared to go to university as a Jew, to send their children to school as a Jew, to tell their colleagues that they are Jewish, even to use our NHS. Nobody should live like that in Britain, but Jews do.
‘And so [on Thursday], this anxiety that is always there went to another place, to terror, frankly. That is the right word.’
Referring directly to the pro-Palestine marches that have been held in London and other cities, he said: ‘If you are marching with people wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out, you are venerating the murder of Jews.
‘If you stand alongside people who say “globalise the intifada”, you are calling for terrorism against Jews and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted.’
‘It is racism, extreme racism, and it has left a minority community in this country scared, intimidated, wondering if they belong.’
Ms Mahmood said on Thursday she was considering banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iranian military group.
Legislation creating proscription-like powers to pursue people and organisations acting on behalf of malign state-sponsored groups will also be ‘fast-tracked’.
