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Protesters shut down Golders Green road with cries of ‘Keir Starmer, Jew harmer’ and ‘Shame on Sadiq Khan’

Fury is mounting over a lack of action to protect Jewish people, with locals calling for armed police on the streets in Jewish areas to protect them from attacks

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By Asher McShane

Protesters took to the streets hours after yesterday’s knife attack in Golders Green blasting the Prime Minister and Mayor of London for not doing more to keep them safe.

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Jewish people are calling for action, not empty words and let their feelings known with shouts of “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” and “Shame on Sadiq Khan.”

The Prime Minister has said he will visit Golders Green “as soon as possible.”

After the attack Sadiq Khan posted online: "I’m angry, appalled and disgusted at this latest heinous attack on our Jewish community and the fact that Jewish people are having to live in a constant state of fear.

"I urge all Londoners to stand with our Jewish communities. Condemning antisemitism is not enough. We need to collectively fight against it, as we have in the past."

Jewish people have said it is a question of when, not if the next attack on them will take place and many are thinking about leaving the country.

“It is a matter of when we have to move, not if,” one person told media in Golders Green yesterday.

Yesterday Met Chief Sir Mark Rowley was met with cries of “shame on you” and “why didn’t you stop the hate marches?”

Golders Green resident Ambrosine Shitrit told the Telegraph: “There was the attack on the ambulances near here, then the synagogue in Harrow, then the attack on the memorial to the Iranian victims a few yards from here and now this.

“London’s Jewish community is under attack, yet it feels as if nothing is being done.”

One Jewish man said: “We need a far higher police presence, more visible armed officers.

“How do I explain this to my kids, when they see Jews stabbed and synagogues firebombed.”

Yesterday Sir Mark struggled to give answers as bystanders shouted "shame on you" and called on him to resign following a string of attacks on London's Jewish community.

Read more: Moment police bring down Golders Green knifeman with Taser after stabbing two Jewish people near synagogue

Read more: LIVE - Golders Green double stabbing declared a terrorist incident

The Met police said it was working with security services after a knifeman stabbed two men, aged 76 and 34, shortly after 11am.

The male suspect, aged 45, also attempted to stab police officers before he was Tasered and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The victims, who are both understood to be members of the orthodox community, are in a stable condition.

Addressing the media, Sir Mark said the suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.

He went on to call the incident "another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities", adding that his thoughts were with the two British Jews attacked.

Footage shows the suspect, who is wearing a white T-shirt and grey trousers under a navy jacket as well as backpack, being Tasered in the road by two officers as sirens wail and people shout in the background.

The commissioner paid tribute to those officers, as they were not armed and "feared" the suspect was carrying an "explosive device".

"Without their bravery I doubt to think what the outcome could have been," he said.

Sir Mark Rowley makes a statement to the media at the scene of the Golders Green stabbing
Sir Mark Rowley makes a statement to the media at the scene of the Golders Green stabbing. Picture: Getty
Sir Mark Rowley speaks to the media at the scene in Golders Green
Sir Mark Rowley speaks to the media at the scene in Golders Green. Picture: Alamy

Sir Mark was asked whether visibly Jewish people were safe on London's streets, as the scene of the attack is within half-a-mile from a memorial wall where an attempted arson took place on Monday.

It is also to near where four Jewish community ambulances were destroyed in firebomb attack in late March.

He said it is "completely understandable" why Jewish Londoners feel afraid, adding that "extra policing" was being put out and the force was looking at what more it can do.

Sir Mark also told reporters that antisemitism is "fuelled by hateful and extremist ideologies".

"It comes from hostile states, the extreme right, and the extreme left. These are terrorist and hateful belief systems but they're all rooted in racism," the police chief said.

"Why don't we see more condemnation of the attacks we've seen in recent weeks? Where are all the voices against hate? And where is the solidarity with fellow Londoners who are being targeted simply for who they are?"

Asked about the "shame on you" chants, Sir Mark said he had received "so many thanks from Jewish communities" in recent weeks over the extra policing that is done.

Scotland Yard said in a statement that counter terror police would be leading the investigation.

A spokesman said officers responded following reports of people being stabbed in Highfield Avenue, Barnet.

According to local residents, one of the victims was stabbed outside shops on Golders Green Road, while the other man was attacked on a side road outside a synagogue on Highfield Avenue.

One witness said the suspect walked away from the scene as of the victims bled from the neck.

The suspect is currently being held in custody, while officers work to establish his nationality and background.

In a statement, the Met said: “The suspect also attempted to stab police officers, and was Tasered before being arrested. No officers were injured.

"Two men – one in his 70s and one in his 30s – were treated at the scene for stab wounds. They have been taken to hospital and both are in a stable condition.

"A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He was taken into custody, where he remains. We are working to establish his nationality and background.

"Specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation and working with the Metropolitan Police to establish the full circumstances and any links to terrorism."