Starmer having his strings pulled

Starmer is warming to his theme. “Antisemiticsm is a crisis for all of us”.

One thing strikes me as odd immediately: “These disgusting attacks are being made against British Jews.” The most recent attack was carried out by a mentally ill man who on the same day allegedly attacked someone who, based on their name, was not Jewish. Another attack was carried out by someone who, if not ‘officially’ ill, clearly had adjustment problems – I am referring to the Manchester synagogue attack in October 2025. Two people died. One stabbed by the attacker, the second shot by mistake by police. Another recent attack was an arson attack on Jewish ambulances, (I am not quite sure why they need separate ambulances, and the the press was falling over itself to report the claim that they are also available for Gentiles, but still, it is a little unusual – try Muslim ambulances in Birmingham). Of these, the only one that seems to me to be something you could call “disgusting” was the ambulance attack. But – the other two, murder, and, apparent, attempted murder by mentally unstable loners, I am not sure I would call “disgusting”. Surely. Mr Starmer, murder is a little more than “disgusting”?

Starmer, or some PR whizz-kid in the press depaartment at No. 10 also wrote:

These disgusting attacks are being made against British Jews. But, make no mistake, this crisis – it is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values. Values that are not guaranteed, but are earned. Every single day, through our actions [1]

I think the brief was, “a really strong statement of committment to British Jewry showing our unity with them”. Amazingly this is the first time I have seen a mainstream British politician point out that policy without praxis is nothing – a Marxist concept.

Meanwhile in other news today, you can watch Israeli forces chase a child with Down’s Syndrome and then manhandle him and drag him away – with three pointing rifles point blank at his clearly unarmed brother who has come to protect him. [2] Another routine day in the West Bank. In fact shootings of children by Israeli forces in the illegally occupied West Bank are so routine they are rarely reported. From January 2023 to February 2025, 224 according to Hamas infiltrated Save the Children. [3] This is in the West Bank – we are not talking about the the 20,000 killed up to September 2025 in Gaza. [4] For comparison, in the evil attack by Hamas in October 2023 29 children died [5]. (I say died rather than was killed because there is credible evidence of Israeli forces hitting Israelis – both in crossfire and as a deliberate policy to prevent soldiers being taken hostage, which according to Israeli outlet Hareetz “potentially endangered civilians as well”). [6]

I don’t recall Starmer once saying anything about this. Indeed the UK is complicit; it trades with the illegal settlements, [7] it provides miltary support to the apartheid regime. [8] Maybe, once or twice they said they were “concerned” or even “very concerned”. They recognised the State of Palestine just at the moment it was being obliterated and Israeli Ministers were openly boasting about that. I am really not sure why; but obviously purely a paperwork exercise.

To be clear; violence is not an answer to violence and, the crimes against humanity and the war crimes of Israel provide zero justification for attacks on Jewish people in the UK. But, clearly there is a connection. Unstable and mentally ill people at the fringes of society, especially from the Muslim community can see in this context an opportunity to solve their personal problems by ‘becomming a hero to the resistance’. There is a connection, not the same as a justification. And, the other point, I am simply struck by the force (apparent force, it is ultimately as performative as anything else), of the response to this latest incident in which two people were stabbed, compared with the silence regarding some of the points I mention above, including the shooting of children for throwing stones at armoured vehicles, or even, for, simply, just being there and in the way of the next settlement. Yes; Palestine is not the UK. But is is just the other side of the Mediterrean, close to countries where a lot of British people go on holiday, part of British history, and, visible on our media screens. And, for that matter, fueled by our arms.

The tolerance of the UK establishment for the massacres by the ethno-fascist state of Israel in Gaza, for the endless crimes against humanity in the West Bank, the illegal attacks on Lebanon and Syria, the routine breaches of ceasefires, the expansion of illegal occupation, the mocking even of the hands that feed them is beyond anything.

Mentally ill people attacking people in the street, and targetting Jewish people, is very serious and a big concern. But – there is something disproportionate to be observed here.

Notes

Starmer having his strings pulled

Related Posts

Stealing the Russian assets [2] – how the Guardian sells the plan to its readersStealing the Russian assets [2] – how the Guardian sells the plan to its readers

How is the reparations loan looking?How is the reparations loan looking?

Alleged bad behaviourAlleged bad behaviour