Government announces extra £25m to protect Jewish communities
Morning. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, acknowledged the concerns within the UK Jewish community as the government declared additional funding to enhance police patrols and security around synagogues, schools, and community centres.
During an interview on BBC Breakfast, Mahmood addressed remarks by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who stated that visibly Jewish individuals in the UK no longer feel safe following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north-west London.
“I, of course, can understand why people who are both visibly and not visibly Jewish are feeling a huge amount of pressure and fear at the moment,” Mahmood said.
“The question for me is, what am I going to do to ensure that people are able to go about their business safely, just like their fellow citizens, and that they also feel safe as well?
“And that is the action that I am taking, practical action, in order to put in the enhanced policing, the higher spending on security so that people can go about their business.”
She announced that the government will allocate an additional £25 million to increase security for Jewish communities and will expedite new legislation to address state threats.
The victims of the stabbing attack, which police have classified as a terrorist incident, have been identified locally as Nachman Moshe ben Chaya Sarah and Moshe Ben Baila. Both remain in hospital in stable condition.
The Metropolitan Police reported that a 45-year-old British national, born in Somalia, is in custody after being Tasered and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Mahmood informed BBC Breakfast that the suspect arrived in the UK lawfully as a child. Met Commissioner Mark Rowley noted the suspect has a history of mental health issues, drug use, and violent convictions.
The stabbings follow a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in London since March, including two previous incidents in Golders Green.
What we know about the attacker
A 45-year-old British national, born in Somalia, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed he came to the UK lawfully as a child.
The Metropolitan Police stated the suspect was initially taken to hospital after arrest but has since been discharged and remains in custody at a London police station.
Met Commissioner Mark Rowley highlighted the suspect's history of mental health issues, drug use, and violent convictions.
The Press Association spoke with local residents in Golders Green following the attack.
Danny Grunfeld, 75, expressed his distress upon learning of the stabbing outside his home on Highbury Avenue.
“It’s very frightening,” he said. “It’s not a pleasant situation when you feel any minute you’re getting out, your life is in danger.”
“We look around all the time. It’s horrible. That’s the best word. It’s just a horrible situation. I go to synagogue. I’m frightened.”
Joseph Deutsch, 80, a lifelong Golders Green resident, stated he refuses to be intimidated by the attack.
“I’m not going to give into it,” he said. “That’s exactly what they want us to feel: frightened.”
‘Do we need to think about moving away?’: Jewish community fears for safety after Golders Green stabbings
Residents of Golders Green and members of the broader British Jewish community have expressed shock and sorrow following the stabbing of two men in north London in an apparent antisemitic attack. Some are questioning whether it remains safe to live in the UK.
Baruch Stern, of Gross Butchers near the attack site, said:
“People feel scared, people feel unsafe. People think, is it really the place for me to be here? Is the UK safe for Jewish people, or is it something we need to think about, moving away?”
The stabbings are feared to be the latest in a series of attacks targeting Jewish schools, synagogues, and charities over recent months.
Stern added:
“I would say the community is always getting messages from Westminster, encouraging messages, they’ll do this and we’ll do that. But at the end of the day, it would be much more encouraging if they would take the words into action and do something about it.”
British Jews at 'breaking point' and could leave UK, says government adviser on antisemitism
John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, stated that British Jews are at “breaking point” and feel unsafe living in the UK.
“Don’t forget, everyone in the Jewish community is fleeing from somewhere,” the Labour peer told .
“Jewish people in this country have always had to flee from somewhere to get here.”
Home Secretary Mahmood emphasized that protecting the Jewish community is a priority but rejected the description by Jonathan Hall, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, that attacks on Jewish people constitute a “national emergency.”
“I think the phrase ‘national emergency’ has particular connotations,” Mahmood told BBC Breakfast.
“It means that for a period, you change your democracy, and you disapply some elements of our democratic society. I don’t believe this is where we are today.
“But for me this is an absolutely pressing priority. It is an emergency for me as home secretary to respond to.”
Several leading UK imams have united to “utterly condemn” the Golders Green attack.
The leaders, including Scotland’s chief Imam Sayed Razawi, alongside Jewish leaders, signed the Drumlanrig Accords last year, which aim to strengthen Jewish-Muslim relations in the UK.
“We note with grave concern the violent attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green, London. We extend our thoughts and solidarity to those injured, their families and the wider Jewish community.
Any act of violence or intimidation directed at individuals because of their faith or identity is utterly unacceptable. Incidents which create fear within communities, particularly near places of worship or religious gathering, undermine the safety and cohesion of our shared society.
As Muslim leaders and signatories to the Drumlanrig Accords, we stand firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of hatred and extremism.
We reaffirm our shared commitment to protecting the dignity, safety and religious freedom of every community.
It is important that communities respond with unity, responsibility, and a shared commitment to mutual respect and social cohesion.”
The Press Association reported that the police cordon around the Golders Green stabbing scene was lifted this morning.
Sections of Highfield Avenue, Beverley Gardens, and Golders Green Road in north-west London had been sealed off following the attack but were reopened by 7am.
Jonathan Hall described attacks on Jewish people as “the biggest national security emergency” since 2017.
“There are Brits in London in particular, Manchester, but probably all around the country, who are now thinking they cannot live a normal life. And it’s not one attack, it’s multiple attacks,” he told the BBC.
He also called for a “moratorium” on pro-Palestinian marches, stating on Times Radio that it is currently “impossible” for such demonstrations not to “incubate” antisemitism.
