Two Jewish men seriously injured after being stabbed in north London — BBC News

[0:00] welcome back to bbc news now we have some breaking news for you and for viewers here in the uk we are [0:06] interrupting politics live to bring you this breaking news two people have been stabbed in [0:12] golders green in north london a man with a knife was seen running down the high street attempting [0:17] to stab jewish people in the area shonrim the jewish community security organization says it [0:24] responded immediately and has detained a suspect police then arrived and tasered a man who has [0:30] been arrested the victims are being treated by hadzola now that is the same organization whose [0:35] ambulances were set on fire across the road from today's incident last month well let's bring in [0:42] our special correspondent lucy manning who has details of all of this for us lucy what have you [0:47] been hearing well that's right just before midday uh some contacts in golders green got in touch with [0:54] me to say that sirens had been heard police and ambulance were on the scene and two men had been [1:04] stabbed on golders green high street and the side street as well we understand that they are two [1:11] visibly jewish men they are jewish men and we assume i think the locals assume that obviously they were [1:17] stabbed because they looked visibly jewish and this looks like being an anti-semitic attack and the [1:26] details that we have at the moment is still coming through we don't have a statement from the police [1:30] yet but we have heard from local residents who saw ambulances arriving on the scene to treat the [1:38] two men who've been stabbed both with serious injuries we understand a local jewish security [1:46] group who helps to protect the jewish community in golders green called shomrim were first on the scene [1:52] they helped to detain the man who had a knife and then the police arrived and locals say the suspect was [2:00] then tasered there are armed police on the scene at the moment um the other update we have is that the [2:07] victims who were stabbed were being treated or are being treated initially by hat soller that is an [2:14] ambulance organization that is run by jewish community volunteers but treats everyone if you [2:20] remember last month hat soller had their ambulances inside a synagogue ground set on fire they were the [2:27] first on the scene and we understand that one of those stabbings today did take place outside the [2:33] synagogue in golders green lucy can you explain particularly for our international uh viewers [2:39] about where this happened in london and a bit about golders green yes well golders green is is the heart [2:46] of jewish northwest london a large jewish population lived there orthodox jews mainly visibly jewish a lot [2:55] of them there are a lot of community centers synagogues kosher shops it really is the heart of the jewish [3:01] community and there was as i said an arson attack there last month when ambulances belonging to a [3:08] jewish communal uh medical organization was set on fire and and the police are investigating that to [3:15] see if there were possible links to iran and iranian proxy groups and since then there have been [3:20] further attacks on the jewish community in the uk further arson attacks against two synagogues and that [3:28] comes after a massive um uptick in anti-semitic verbal and physical attacks against the jewish [3:35] community in the uk so a very worrying and disturbing time for the country's jewish community lucy stay [3:42] with us we have just had a post on social media from the board of deputies of british jews saying we [3:47] are aware of a reported stabbing incident in golders green with two injured the police have apprehended a [3:53] suspect we are liaising with the cst government and police to understand what has happened and to [3:59] ensure a forceful response lucy you were just reflecting on that then but how worrying and [4:06] distressing this will be for so many members of the jewish community here in the uk this news now of [4:12] another attack it's extremely worrying and extremely distressing and i think every time well i know every [4:22] time an attack happens people in the british jewish community say well we were expecting it we're not [4:29] shocked because they just at the moment believe that not enough is being done to protect them in this [4:37] country not enough is being done at the source at the source of anti-semitism to these attacks there [4:45] has been a massive increase in police on the streets and i think people welcome that but in terms of [4:50] dealing with the islamist ideology we don't know what is behind us attacks or the iranian links [4:58] general anti-semitism that comes from the left and the right there is definitely a feeling in the [5:02] british jewish community that not enough is being done to tackle the root cause of anti-semitism [5:09] and it is ending up with synagogues being firebombed and jewish people on on the streets being being [5:15] attacked i interviewed a man um and just at the beginning of the week i think he had been [5:21] verbally and physically abused while on a job in in slough and he said something very sad he said [5:28] what was i thinking that i thought i could go out into parts of the uk looking visibly like a jewish [5:36] person and he was berating himself for thinking that he had the freedom of expression to to dress [5:43] and be visible as a jew and and that is what the community is facing yes and i've heard parents also [5:50] say that they're worried about their children uh going to faith schools but also those that uh [5:55] are visibly jewish as well they worry about their safety lucy do stay with us as well i'm just going [5:59] to bring in yet another post we've had on social media uh from chris philip who is the shadow home [6:06] secretary saying this is yet another appalling anti-semitic attack the jewish community are not [6:11] being properly protected from this hate we have seen iran sponsoring anti-semitic attacks and islamist [6:17] extremism run rampant the government must urgently set up tangible actions against anti-semitism iran [6:24] and islamist extremism uh can you just put that tweet or that comment lucy into context in terms of [6:31] the worry that there is over the use of proxies at the moment we are investigating a number of attacks [6:39] that one of the key areas of investigation is whether iran is using low-level criminals in the uk to carry [6:48] out attacks against jewish and dissident iranian targets and there have been firebomb attacks at a [6:55] number of synagogues the offices of the former offices of a jewish charity and there is a concern [7:03] that this is happening in the uk and that is what the police are investigating obviously we don't know [7:09] whether this attack is linked to it or or this is another attack but the bottom line is jews are [7:15] feeling very much under threat in this country at the moment lucy do stay with us sean dilly is also [7:20] with me here in the studio sean just reflecting on some of the things that lucy has said as well are [7:25] you hearing anything more about what has happened in gold is green well i mean the details obviously [7:29] lucy's um got her finger on the uh pulse about but as with other attacks on the jewish community [7:35] uh the damage is much wider than anything that happens as as devastating as is for those involved [7:42] because it's the psychological impact that it's having on the jewish community lucy set out [7:47] uh you know people's experiences thinking that their freedom of expression to go out dressed in a way [7:52] people would associate with being jewish is impacting people so this is something that is resonating [7:58] very very seriously through the jewish community it's worth actually just spending a moment uh thinking [8:04] about the organization shomrin that has uh put out this line uh well before any police communications on [8:10] the matter still that's the case i believe as we speak uh they're almost they're a uniform security [8:14] presence they drive around in gold is green um and in other areas very much you know in cars that look [8:21] like uh police on the basis that uh there are many people in this country who do not feel safe [8:27] purely because of their background we've seen incident after incident indeed hatsela the organization [8:35] a charity providing ambulance services also involved in this morning's incidents so this is quite a [8:41] significant issue it's one that you can be fairly certain that downing street will be involved in [8:46] discussions on in the background working uh no doubt with london's metropolitan police and it is also [8:53] worth just connecting some of the dots here uh in some ways there'll be an immediate policing response [8:58] when the 999 call comes in in addition to the medical work that's going on there would be that initial [9:04] responses there would be to any call but uh counter terrorism policing otherwise known as so 15 [9:10] specialist operations 15 from new scotland yard have been leading many of these investigations [9:15] because ultimately it is terrorizing a community they will naturally we expect say well we don't know [9:22] individual circumstances until they're established but there will be an awful lot of people in the jewish [9:27] community horrified by yet what appears to be another attack on their community and when you say [9:33] another attack to remind people we have seen attacks as well on on synagogues and you mentioned as [9:39] well on on the ambulances i mean hatzola that you talked about there this is the the same organization [9:44] that came to the aid of these people who have been stabbed today it was their ambulances that was set [9:48] on fire and apparently sean right where the stabbing took place is actually also where the ambulances were [9:54] set on fire yes it is a very close-knit community there was the memorial wall wall targeting attempted [10:00] arson on monday uh you know i was myself in in hendon fairly recently at a former shop front of an [10:07] organization called jewish futures uh that had been targeted there was the finchley reform uh synagogue [10:13] there have been actually quite a few uh attacks as you say the attacks on the ambulances were [10:18] condemned very widely by prime minister sakir starmer and the government shipping into uh fund [10:24] replacements uh for those ambulances that were damaged so the community uh could be kept safe even [10:30] with and against the backdrop of all the many instances happening at the moment but look be under [10:35] no doubt this is something that security services will be aware of it's something that the government [10:42] will be very very aware to make sure that communities feel safe and we can expect an awful lot [10:47] of messaging from police forces not just in london but around the home counties as well as many of the [10:53] arrests for recent attacks many of the suspects have been arrested in areas such as hartfordshire for [10:57] instance uh we can expect a very high uniformed uh policing presence but ultimately what has been [11:04] described around half past 11 this morning in golders green high street uh it is terrifying and [11:10] you know to that extent the chamrin the we spoke about in the uniform security uh organization [11:16] keeping the jewish community as safe as is possible uh will be stepping up their patrol [11:21] hatsula despite the attacks on their ambulances last month uh will be standing by to assist in [11:27] any way but so too will the metropolitan police and the london ambulance service and communities [11:32] will now uh come together but there will be some very serious questions because it is a repeated [11:37] theme that you hear speaking to any jewish person uh in the uk at the moment they simply do not feel safe [11:43] on the streets and the government will be very very aware of how disconcerting that is they will and we [11:50] have actually just heard from the prime minister we're going to bring you that in a moment but i [11:53] just want to remind you of what has happened what we are learning two people have been stabbed in [11:58] golders green in north london a man with a knife was seen running down the high street attempting to [12:03] stab jewish people in the area shomrim that is the jewish community security organization that sean has [12:09] just been talking about says it responded immediately and detained a suspect police then arrived and tasered a [12:16] man who has been arrested the victims are being treated by hat zola now sean was talking about [12:21] them as well that is the same organization whose ambulances were set on fire across the road from [12:26] today's incident and that happened last month well we just had a comment uh as i mentioned from the [12:31] prime minister sir kia stana he says this is deeply deeply concerning have a listen thank you very much [12:38] mr speaker the whole house will be very concerned to hear about the dreadful stabbings this morning [12:44] in the borough of barnet and as a member for hornsey and fry and barnet i'm very worried about this [12:49] repeated uh violence against the jewish community and mr speaker i just wanted to reach out to the [12:56] whole house to say we uh condemn these uh alleged attacks and we wish the police the council and all [13:03] the community services the very best in solving this and bringing to justice those perpetrators [13:08] of these violent crimes prime minister would you want to respond yeah yeah can i first thank her for [13:16] raising this issue uh which um uh i had learned about before prime minister's questions it is deeply [13:22] concerning uh to uh everyone in this house there is now a police um investigation and i think we all [13:29] need to do everything we can to support that um investigation and be absolutely clear in our [13:34] determination uh to deal with any of these uh offenses the like of which we've seen too much uh recently