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Starmer: Police Must Have Feared for Their Lives in Golders Green Attack | BBC Radio 4 Today

Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the BBC Radio 4 Today programme after the knife attack on a Jewish individual in Golders Green, outlining the government’s immediate and longer‑term response to rising antisemitic violence. He said an emergency COBRA meeting was convened, additional police funding was allocated and a permanent surge of officers will remain in vulnerable neighbourhoods. Starmer demanded that extremist chants such as “Globalise the Intifada” be prosecuted and warned that many people either ignore or downplay antisemitism. The prime minister highlighted the officers’ fear of a possible bomb when they used tasers, calling criticism of their actions “disgraceful”. He also stressed that protecting Jewish identity is a “whole‑society” fight and that Britain must not tolerate extremist speech from any side. Starmer’s remarks signal a possible tightening of protest‑policing powers and a political test for parties balancing free speech with security. The stance also ties domestic security spending to wider economic pressures from the Iran‑Hormuz crisis and the war in Ukraine, underscoring the government’s need for a resilient, unified Britain.