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Tens of thousands rallied in London Sunday alarmed at the massive increase in violent attacks against the country’s Jewish population. Marchers made clear their anger towards the inaction of the British government.
Thousands rallied in London Sunday, alarmed by the massive increase in violent attacks against the country’s Jewish population. Marchers made clear their anger toward the British government’s inaction.
Speaking a few days before the rally, U.K. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch told Fox News Digital, “Zero tolerance for antisemitism means treating this epidemic of violence as a genuine national emergency.” Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions. “Antisemites will not be welcomed or tolerated. Britain has been a haven for Jews for centuries. It must remain so.”
Her warning comes as the United Kingdom raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe,” the second-highest classification, meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The move reflects what security officials describe as a worsening threat environment amid a spike in antisemitic incidents, arson attacks and targeted violence.
EVEN BEFORE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL HATE CHANTS, UK JEWS WARNED OF ALARMING RISE IN ANTISEMITISM
People attend a rally organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism opposite Downing Street in London on April 30, 2026, following the stabbing of two Jewish men in the Golders Green neighborhood. Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged increased security funding for Jewish sites and called for unity against antisemitism. (Carlos Jasso/AFP)
“There’s an unholy alliance of the hard Left and Islamist extremists behind some of the spread of antisemitism,” Badenoch warned. “What do people think chants such as ‘from the river to the sea’ or ‘globalize the intifada’ mean if they do not mean the erasure of the world’s only Jewish state and violence against Jews everywhere?”
British security officials have long noted that Islamist extremism remains one of the United Kingdom’s primary terror threats, with MI5 warning that radicalization networks and extremist ideology continue to pose serious risks.
Jewish leaders and analysts say expressions of support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, combined with public glorification of violence, have contributed to an environment in which anti-Jewish hostility is becoming increasingly normalized.
Despite mounting criticism over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s handling of antisemitism as incidents continue to reach new highs across the U.K., Starmer, speaking at the No10 Tackling Antisemitism Forum last week, said: “Our Jewish communities [are] feeling frightened, angry and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them.”
He added: “In recent months, as antisemitic incidents have risen, we have acted decisively to strengthen the safety of Jewish communities,” announcing an additional £25 million in funding for increased patrols and enhanced security to prevent serious harm before it occurs.” Despite those assurances, critics say the response is still falling short, warning that Jewish communities remain exposed and the situation is continuing to escalate.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the Hatzola Northwest independent ambulance base after yesterday’s terrorist incident, on April 30, 2026 in Golders Green, England. A 45-year-old British-Somali man was arrested yesterday, after stabbing two Jewish men, Shloime Rand and Moshe Shine, in a terrorist attack in Golders Green. Both victims are in stable condition, and the suspect was caught by police after being tasered. The government has since pledged £25 million to improve security for the Jewish community following the incident. (James Smith/Sam Snap/Getty Images)
Jonathan Sacerdoti, a London-based commentator and writer, told Fox News Digital that authorities have demonstrated the ability to deploy large scale policing when necessary, but many Jewish residents are questioning whether that same urgency is being applied to protecting them.
“Considering they’re able to police massive anti-Israel protests every two weeks for the last two and a half years,” Sacerdoti said, “they ought to be able to do the same to protect Jews.”
He added that security funding alone cannot solve what he sees as a deeper problem.
ANTISEMITISM IS BECOMING ‘NORMAL,’ WITH JEWISH TEENS PAYING THE PRICE
Leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch speaks at an antisemitism rally in the United Kingdom. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
“Jews should not need a volunteer security organization,” he said. “The state should protect us itself.”
For many Jewish families across the United Kingdom, the impact is no longer abstract. It is being felt in everyday life.
Rabbi Albert Chait, senior rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation in Leeds, said one of the most troubling signs is how normalized constant security has become for Jewish children.
“You know what the worst thing is, in my opinion?” Chait said. “The fact that my children do not ask why there is police outside their school. They do not question why there is paid security on the gate and on the street. They do not even question it because that is just normal day to day activity.”
ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT
Members of the Jewish community view the scene of an antisemitic arson attack in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London on March 24, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Community Security Trust, antisemitic incidents in Britain reached approximately 3,700 in 2025, among the highest totals on record, prompting increased funding for security at synagogues, schools and Jewish institutions.
As Britain confronts what many are increasingly describing as a national crisis, similar warning signs are becoming more visible in the United States.
This past week in Queens, New York, multiple Jewish homes, a synagogue and a Jewish community center housing a preschool were vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti, raising alarm among residents.
From swastikas scrawled in school bathrooms and subway stations to antisemitic graffiti targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions, symbols of hate are appearing with growing visibility in everyday American life.
New York City officials say four suspects allegedly spray-painted swastikas and other antisemitic symbols on synagogues, homes and cars in Queens, New York, earlier this week. (New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin/X)
“One of the sites houses a pre-K program, where young children, their families and staff were greeted with swastikas and other hateful vandalism,” Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York told Jewish Insider. “This is not normal, and we need city leaders to act now.”
For many observers, the parallels are difficult to ignore.
What Britain is experiencing, rising antisemitic violence, normalized hostility, and ongoing debates over ideology and enforcement, is no longer confined overseas.
It is increasingly being reflected in American communities.
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Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch speaks during a “face down” antisemitism rally in Whitehall, central London, following a series of arson attacks and two people being stabbed in Golders Green, north-west London on April 29. Picture date: Sunday May 10, 2026. (Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images)
And as the crisis unfolds, Badenoch’s warning carries implications far beyond the United Kingdom.
“I have never seen the level of racism, discrimination, intimidation and attacks that have been directed at the Jewish community,” she said. “If other minority communities were facing similar levels of violence, there would be a national emergency.”