Police Treat Golders Green Stabbings as Terror Incident in London
Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday, and police treated the attack as a terrorist incident. The men were named locally as Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76. Police also arrested a 45-year-old British national on suspicion of attempted murder.
Golders Green attack
Hall said attacks on Jewish people in the UK are "the biggest national security emergency" in almost a decade. He also said British Jews were "now thinking they cannot live a normal life" after a series of incidents in recent months.
Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, rejected the description of a national emergency. She said the issue was an emergency for her and was being treated as an "absolute priority" by the government. Mahmood also said, "The phrase national emergency has particular connotations... it means for a period you change your democracy and you disapply some elements of our democratic society" and added, "I don't believe this is where we are today".
£25m for Jewish communities
After the attack, the government announced an extra £25m in funding for increased police patrols and security in Jewish communities. The money will also go toward further protections around synagogues, schools and community centres, tightening the security ring around places that many Jewish families use every day.
Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Wednesday's attack "proves that if you are visibly Jewish, you're not safe and far more needs to be done". Chris Philp called attacks on Jewish communities happening "on such a frequent basis" in the UK "shameful" and said, "I think from the government, words are no longer enough".
The next step is operational rather than rhetorical: more patrols, more protection around Jewish institutions and a police case built around the terrorist incident declaration and the attempted murder arrest. The immediate question for Jewish communities in London is whether the new funding reaches the streets, schools and synagogues fast enough to change daily routine.
