Thousands rally against antisemitism in London after Golders Green stabbing
Thousands gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday for the 'Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism' rally, organized in response to a surge in antisemitic hate crimes and the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green on 29 April. Senior politicians including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey addressed the crowd, while Labour's Pat McFadden was met with boos and shouts of 'Where is Starmer?'. The rally followed an open letter from interfaith leaders calling antisemitism 'a problem for all of us to fix'.
Thousands of people gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday for the 'Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism' rally, organized in response to a marked increase in antisemitic hate crimes and the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green on 29 April. Suspected terrorist Essa Suleiman has been charged with attempted murder in relation to the Golders Green stabbings.
Senior politicians addressed the crowd, which was studded with Israeli and union jack flags and 'Where is Keir?' placards. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the crowd: 'I'm not here to do politics today.' Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for changes to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme and proscription of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Labour's Pat McFadden was met with boos and shouts of 'Where is Starmer?' as he took to the stage. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice accused Labour of an 'absence of courage, of leadership'.
Religious leaders from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities signed an open letter describing antisemitism as 'a problem for all of us to fix'. The letter was organised by the Together Coalition. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the letter a 'powerful riposte to the hateful extremists who have targeted the Jewish community'.
The rally followed a series of attacks on Jewish targets. Two Jewish people were killed in October 2025 in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester. In March 2026, four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green. After the Golders Green attack, the UK's terrorism threat level was raised to 'severe'. In April 2026, the number of antisemitic hate crimes in London reached its highest level in two years, according to Metropolitan police data. The Metropolitan police committed to deploying 100 extra officers to protect Jewish communities.