LONDON, May 5: Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Iran that attempts to foment division within British society “will not be tolerated”, as he hosted a summit on tackling antisemitism in London on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks at 10 Downing Street, Starmer said a rise in attacks against British Jews is “a crisis for all of us” and requires a “whole of society” response.
The meeting of police chiefs, business and civil society leaders came a week after a terrorist attack targeted Jewish men on the streets of Golders Green in north-west London.
“Last week’s terrorist attack in Golders Green was utterly appalling. But it was not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of rising antisemitism that has left our Jewish communities feeling frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them.
“One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents. We’re investigating, of course, all the possibilities, and we’re clear that these actions will have consequences if that proves to be the case,” said Starmer.
“Our message to Iran, or to any other country that might seek to foment violence, hatred or division in society, is that it will not be tolerated. That is why we are fast-tracking legislation to tackle these malign threats,” he said.
The UK PM said that ministers are “clear-eyed” that antisemitism doesn’t have “one source alone” and pointed to Islamist, far-left and far-right extremism as areas of concern.
“That is why this government has put in place the first coordinated national plan to strengthen cohesion and confront extremism in all of its forms,” he said.
Leaders from business, civil society, health, culture, higher education and policing gathered at the summit were called upon to reflect on the forms antisemitism takes in their individual sectors and the work being done to tackle it.
A series of roundtables will be followed by a ministerial meet on the Middle East Response Committee, focused on the domestic security implications of the conflict in West Asia and the heightened threat to Jewish communities in light of recent attacks, Downing Street said.
Earlier, Starmer issued a statement condemning strikes on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.
He said: “We stand in solidarity with the UAE and will continue to support the defence of our partners in the Gulf.
This escalation must cease. Iran needs to engage meaningfully in negotiations to ensure the ceasefire in the Middle East endures, and a long-term diplomatic solution is achieved.”
Meanwhile, Somalia-born British national Essa Suleiman, 45, remains in custody charged with the attempted murder of two Jewish men stabbed in Golders Green last week. The attack also saw the UK’s terror threat level raised to severe, which means an attack was highly likely within the next six months.
Meanwhile, counter-terrorism officers are also investigating a suspected arson attack at a former synagogue in Whitechapel, east London, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
It follows a spate of suspected arson attacks across London, including on ambulances owned by a Jewish charity and a synagogue.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for all pro-Palestine marches to be banned because of their impact on Britain’s Jewish community. (PTI)
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