UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to boost security for the Jewish community following the latest attack against it, while urging Britons to unite against antisemitism.
Facing accusations from angry British Jews that his government has repeatedly failed to protect them, Mr Starmer pledged immediate increased funding for synagogues and other sites but insisted UK society must "come together" to "fight antisemitism".
The British leader also accused Iran of wanting "to harm British Jews" in the wake of Wednesday's latest attack targeting the community in which two Jewish men were stabbed in north London.
His comments follow repeated warnings from officials that hostile states are intent on using proxies to conduct attacks in the UK, after a string of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the capital.
"This is about society every bit as much as it is about security," Mr Starmer said in a televised Downing Street address, hours after visiting the scene of the knifings, where he faced boos and heckling from locals.
"This government will do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out," he added.
"We will strengthen our security and protect our Jewish community. But I also call on everyone decent in this country to open their eyes to Jewish pain, Jewish suffering and Jewish fear."
It comes as the UK's terrorism threat level was raised to "severe", the second highest in the five-tier system, the Home Office said.
"The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has today... raised the UK National Threat Level from substantial, meaning an attack is likely, to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next six months," it said.
The threat level had been at substantial since February 2022, according to JTAC - which is housed within Britain's security services - but was upgraded after Wednesday's attack.
Security fears
The two men were knifed in broad daylight in Golders Green, an area of north London with a large Jewish population.
The victims, aged 76 and 34, were in a stable condition in hospital.
A 45-year-old man, a British national who was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child, remains in custody following the stabbings.
It comes nearly seven months after a deadly attack in which two people died at a synagogue in Manchester, and the recent string of arson attacks.
Monitoring groups have reported a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain, particularly since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Earlier, the UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an extra £25 million would pay for more protective security for Jewish synagogues, schools, places of worship and community centres.
But Rabbi Ben Kurzer, of the Golders Green Synagogue, urged the government to do more.
"There is definitely not a significant police presence on a regular basis in these areas," he told BBC Radio.
"We have little bits here and there, but most of the security that we're seeing is private."
A little-known group believed to be linked to Iran, and which has claimed responsibility for the previous arson attacks and others in Europe, said one of its "lone wolves" was behind the stabbings, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) - meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand - made the uncorroborated claim in a video posted online, according to SITE.
Ms Mahmood said the government would fast-track legislation to deal with "a gap in the law when it comes to organisations that may be linked to hostile states" and their proxies.
'Suffer'
Meanwhile, Mr Starmer said the government was assessing what new measures might be introduced to deal with contentious pro-Palestinian protests, which critics claim are a hotbed of antisemitism.
He added if those attending the marches were standing "alongside people who say 'globalise the intifada', you are calling for terrorism against Jews".
Golders Green local Max Radford, 53, said Wednesday's attack was "exactly what the intifada looks like".
"They've been chanting it on the streets of London, Manchester, Birmingham," he told AFP. "And now intifada is on our street, that's what we have to suffer."
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged Londoners to "remain calm and vigilant" after the UK terrorism threat level was raised.
He said: "I want to reassure all Londoners and visitors that we are doing everything possible to protect our city and keep all of our communities safe.
"I would urge all Londoners and visitors to remain calm and vigilant, and to report anything suspicious to the police.
"There will be additional police officers on London's streets over the coming days - including additional armed officers - they are there to help our police service to keep us all safe."
He added: "Those who seek to harm and divide us through barbaric acts of terrorism will never succeed. We will never be cowed by terrorism."
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Last year, the UK government announced it would give police greater powers to restrict demonstrations, to take into account the "cumulative impact" of frequent protests.
Marchers insist that their protests intend to draw attention to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and are in no way targeted at the Jewish community.
Jonathan Hall, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, on Wednesday said it was impossible for such marches not to "incubate" antisemitism.
He described recent attacks on Jews as a "massive national security emergency" and called for a "moratorium" on pro-Palestinian marches.
Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK party, visited the Golders Green attack scene and accused the authorities of being too "soft" on "discriminatory" chants.
