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

Why It Matters

The comments mark a shift toward tougher security and protest regulations, linking domestic antisemitism response to broader geopolitical and economic challenges.

Key Takeaways

• Starmer pledges longer‑term police presence after Golders Green attack.
• Calls for prosecution of extremist chants like “Globalise the Intifada.”
• Antisemitism framed as whole‑society problem, not solely Jewish issue.
• Security measures tied to economic strain from Iran and Ukraine conflicts.
• Will tighten protest policing yet uphold legitimate peaceful demonstrations.

Summary

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.

Original Description

The terror threat level has been increased to severe as Britain's top police officer says that the UK faces a pandemic of antisemitism and the government's adviser on terrorism says we face a national emergency.

This crisis on the streets of Britain is just one of many crises which Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has been facing in recent weeks and months.

The crisis triggered by the war in Iran threatens to tear up his plans and hopes for the economy. The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to cause real problems for British businesses and British households.

Nick Robinson has been speaking to Sir Keir Starmer for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, about his meeting with police who arrested the suspect in the Golders Green attack.

He criticises comments about the arrest from Green Party leader Zack Polanski. Mr Polanski has now apologised for "sharing a tweet in haste," adding that he should not have commented on police actions via social media.

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