PM Keir Starmer described the Golders Green attack as "utterly appalling". #BBCNews
PM Keir Starmer responded to the Golders Green attack, calling it 'utterly appalling' and framing antisemitism and attacks on the Jewish community as a broader societal fight for the kind of country Britain wants to be. He emphasized solidarity with the Jewish community while broadening the call to action to all citizens.
Summary
In response to the attack in Golders Green, Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed strong solidarity with the Jewish community while making a broader appeal to all people in the country. He acknowledged the common sentiment of 'standing with the Jewish community' but argued that the fight against such attacks must be understood as a collective national concern, not solely a matter for one community.
Starmer repeatedly stressed that while support for the Jewish community is unequivocal, the underlying issue — what kind of country Britain wants to be — belongs to everyone. He framed the response to antisemitic violence and hate as a shared national fight, urging citizens to see it as their own struggle rather than one confined to a specific group.
The statement was brief but pointed, with Starmer using repetition to drive home his key message: that solidarity must translate into broader civic action, and that the values at stake — tolerance, safety, and community — are universal British values worth defending.
Key Insights
- Starmer argues that standing with the Jewish community should not be seen as support for one group alone, but as a fight that belongs to everyone in the country.
- Starmer frames the attack in Golders Green as a question about 'what sort of country we want to live in,' elevating it to a matter of national identity.
- Starmer explicitly calls for broadening the fight beyond communal solidarity, saying 'we've got to make this a bigger fight.'
- Starmer reaffirms unconditional support for the Jewish community while simultaneously arguing that limiting the response to that community alone is insufficient.
- Starmer closes with a direct and repeated declaration — 'this is our fight' — signalling an intent to mobilise a wider public response beyond the Jewish community.
Topics
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