Man Charged with Attempted Murder After Stabbing Three in London

Two Jewish men, Shloime Rand and Moshe Shine, were stabbed in Golders Green, London, on Wednesday. Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with three attempted murders in connection with the attack, which police declared a terror incident. Suleiman is also accused of attacking Ishmail Hussein, a man he had known for around 20 years, in Southwark, London, on the same day.

The Golders Green victims sustained serious injuries but have been discharged from hospital. The incident follows a string of violent attacks targeting Jewish people in recent months. A review into public order and hate crime legislation was commissioned by the government after two Jewish people were killed in an attack outside a Manchester synagogue last year.

That review was expected to report back in February but has not yet been published. In March, the government approved a police request to ban London's Al Quds Day march, marking the first time a protest march had been banned since 2012. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, suggested there may be instances where protests need to be stopped altogether.

He expressed concern about the 'cumulative' effect of repeated marches on the Jewish community. He described chants like 'globalise the intifada' as 'very dangerous' to the Jewish community and said they should be prosecuted. The prime minister noted that the government has enhanced police security in areas like Golders Green, which has been in place for some time.

Jonathan Hall KC, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, called this week for a 'moratorium' on pro-Palestinian marches because it was currently 'impossible' for them not to incubate antisemitism. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called for a temporary ban on pro-Palestinian marches, telling the BBC they had contributed to a 'tone of Jew hatred' in the UK.

The term intifada came into popular use during the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1987.

In December, the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said they would arrest those using 'intifada' in chants or on placards following the attack on a Jewish festival on Australia's Bondi Beach. Stop the War Coalition, which helped organize a number of pro-Palestinian marches, condemned all forms of antisemitism and racism but said it was wrong to connect the marches to attacks on Jews.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski stated that Starmer was using the pain and fear of Jewish people to threaten further authoritarian restrictions on peaceful protest, adding that this would produce more division.

Jeremy Corbyn's Your Party warned that the response to the attacks should not restrict civil liberties. The Liberal Democrats said protests should only proceed when safe, with police scrutinizing each case and officers making quick arrests for antisemitic abuse or incitement to violence.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was time to ban these marches, as they were being used as cover for promoting violence and intimidation against Jews.

Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf described the prime minister's words as weak and too late, pledging a zero-tolerance approach to protesters inciting violence. Police in England and Wales can restrict protests by stipulating routes or end times, or ban them outright with home secretary approval if needed to prevent serious public disorder. Such outright bans are not regularly used.