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London: The British public has been told to expect more terror attacks within months after the frenzied stabbing of two Jewish men on a London street, heightening fears of violent antisemitism and prompting the government to outline new spending on community protection.
The government raised the national threat level to its worst rating in almost five years, lifting it from “substantial” to “severe” on the advice of counter-terror authorities who believe another attack is highly likely in the next six months.
Crowds gathered at the site of the stabbings in the north London neighbourhood of Golders Green on Thursday to protest against Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he arrived to show his concern over the attacks, amid a ferocious debate about whether he was doing enough to stop the threats to British Jews.
Graphic video showed the assailant lunging at a man at a bus stop on Wednesday morning and stabbing him as he fell to the street, before police arrived at the scene and Tasered the suspect.
Two Jewish men, aged 34 and 76, were taken to hospital and remain in a stable condition.
Police said the assailant, a 45-year-old man, was born in Somalia, came to the UK as a child in the early 1990s and was now a British citizen. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley, said he had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
One of the victims, Shloime Rand, 34, said it was a “miracle” he survived when the assailant approached him and began stabbing him in the chest.
“I feel like God’s given me back my life,” Rand told the BBC.
“I would have been even happier if nothing would have happened, but you know, in this situation I’m very happy that I survived and I can talk.
“I’ve had a stab to my chest, and yes, my lungs have to recover. The oxygen was now reduced, and I hope I’ll be better soon.”
The videos of the attack appeared to show the attacker walking along the footpath with a short knife in his hand before he lunged at Moshe Shine, 76, who was waiting at a bus stop.
Police video later showed officers yelling at the attacker to put down the knife before they Tasered him and he fell to the ground.
The attack is the latest in a string of crimes including arson on March 23 when a group of men set fire to ambulances operated by a non-profit Jewish group, Hatzola, in the Golders Green area.
Three men and a teenager appeared at the Old Bailey last week to face charges over the attack. Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and the teenager, who cannot be named, remain in custody until a plea hearing in August.
Jewish community leaders called for greater government action last October when an attacker rammed a synagogue in Manchester and began wounding worshippers with a knife. He killed one man and was shot by police, while a second victim died from a police bullet.
The assailant in Manchester, Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was born in Syria, raised in Britain and held British citizenship.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Rand told the BBC the government was not doing enough to stop the violence against Jews.
“I have friends and people telling me they’re scared to walk in the street, and they look all around them, they don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “People are now afraid and it’s been taken to a new level.”
Some British Jews have spoken about leaving the country because of the heightened risk of attack, including several who outlined their concerns to this masthead last October.
Starmer promised to increase spending on security, and he called on the community to reject public demonstrations that glorified the Hamas attackers who murdered Jews on October 7, 2023, in the terrorist attack that drew retaliation from Israel.
“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,” Starmer said in a statement.
The UK leader said the phrase “globalise the intifada” was racist and threatening. British police decided last year to prosecute protesters who used it. While “intifada” means “uprising” in Arabic, the word was also given to a wave of violence including suicide bombings against Israelis.
The UK approach has parallels in Australia, where the NSW government wants to ban the phrase, but civil liberties groups say the phrase is free speech. British police have charged several people for chanting it, but have dropped charges against one of them.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined another £25 million ($47 million) to protect Jewish communities by increasing police patrols and installing more security at synagogues, schools and community centres. She said this would bring total funding to £58 million this year.
Crowds jeered at Starmer during his visit to Golders Green, however, on the grounds that he had not done enough sooner to stem the violence. Some carried signs saying: “Keir Starmer, Jew Harmer”.
Israeli deputy foreign minster Sharren Haskell said the attacks on Jews in Britain were the consequences of an environment of incitement and government inaction.
“British Jews should not have to choose between their faith and their safety,” she said. “They need more than just sympathy; they need the same standard of protection that every other minority is rightfully afforded.”
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