April 2026

Two People Stabbed in Apparent Terror Attack in Golders Green
On Wednesday 29 April, two Jewish men 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76 year-old Moshe Shine - were stabbed in Golders Green, an area of London known for its large Jewish population. Prior to these two stabbings, the assailant attacked a Muslim man in Southwark, though there has been little reporting by the media on this third victim. Police are currently treating the stabbings of the two victims in Golders Green as a terror attack. The 45 year-old suspect was apprehended near the scene whilst looking for more targets and attempting to attack police officers. Authorities report that he has a history of serious violence and mental health issues.

The BBC reports that the suspect had previously been referred to the government’s counter-extremism programme, Prevent. Earlier, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, stated that attacks on Jews constitute “the biggest national security emergency” in almost a decade.

This is the second attack in a matter of weeks to take place in Golders Green, following an arson attack on ambulances operated by a local Jewish charity. Many members of the community have expressed anger, fear, and frustration that more is not being done to address the rise in antisemitism and violence against Jewish communities. In response, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has committed £25 million to increase security around synagogues, schools, and community centres. However, some view this as reactive rather than preventative - akin to placing a plaster over a wound.

A Jewish man speaking to the BBC near the site of the stabbing said:

The UK government is not hospitable for the Jewish community. They say they are, but they do nothing. I don’t feel safe walking down Golders Green High Street, where I’ve lived for years. This country is finished for Jews - people will leave to go to Israel. If my wife said she would move, I would move today. I keep begging her. In the last year, 80% of my friends have moved. Since the 7 October [attack on Israel], this country has gone mental. You only have to look at the pro-Palestinian rallies with over a million people gathering.

Some commentators have linked the rise in antisemitism and the recent stabbing to growing pro-Palestine activism, including large-scale demonstrations. Others have taken to social media to criticise public figures such as Owen Jones and Zack Polanski - both vocal critics of the Israeli government - for expressing solidarity with the Jewish community, accusing them of hypocrisy and, in some cases, assigning them indirect responsibility for such attacks.

Epsom Unrest
In the early hours of 11 April, a young woman was reportedly raped outside Epsom Methodist Church by a group of men. No suspects have been named, which authorities attribute to insufficient evidence and an inconsistency in the facts reported.

This lack of information has fuelled frustration among some members of the local community, with speculation emerging that the absence of named suspects is due to their alleged status as immigrants or asylum seekers rather than evidentiary limitations. The town has since seen two protests, with demonstrators demanding information about the ethnicity of the perpetrators. Following a second protest on Monday 21 April, four individuals were arrested for violent disorder. Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend described the behaviour as “mindless” and “shameful.” She also noted that many attendees were not local residents but had travelled from elsewhere to incite hate and cause unrest.

These developments are reminiscent of the protests that spread across the UK in the summer of 2024 following a series of stabbings carried out by Axel Rudakubana at a children’s party, in which three children were killed and ten further people injured, including six children. When police initially declined to disclose details about the perpetrator, online speculation quickly escalated, including claims that authorities were protecting an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK via a “small boat.” Police later clarified that the perpetrator had been born and raised in the UK, after which public attention shifted to his presumed religion - incorrectly, in many cases, and which led to attacks on mosques, Muslim people, and their properties and possessions.

These incidents point to a concerning shift in public discourse, in which demands for information about a suspect’s ethnicity or religion are increasingly framed as legitimate, and where police face pressure to disclose such details to prevent civil unrest. In parallel, there has been a noticeable increase in calls for deportation when individuals from ethnic or religious minorities commit crimes, rather than a focus on due legal process.

Some commentators have criticised the police response in Epsom, questioning the use of riot control measures against what they describe as a protest composed largely of “mostly white” individuals protesting a serious crime. Among them is Spectator writer Brendan O’Neill.

Police have stated that they will be closing the case due to insufficient evidence, stating that they are “confident there was no offence.” After a “thorough investigation” the police revealed it became clear that the woman in her early 20s had suffered a head injury following a night out, which led to her making a confused report.

Unite the Kingdom Rally and Valentina Gomez
“Unite the Kingdom” is a rally organised by far-right, anti-Islam and anti-immigration activist Stephen Lennon-Yaxley, more commonly known as Tommy Robinson. Yaxley has a well-documented history of organising demonstrations that have, at times, escalated into violence and have been widely criticised for targeting ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Muslim communities.

The first Unite the Kingdom rally, held in summer 2025, was one of the largest right-wing gatherings in recent years and saw incidents of violence and attacks on minority-owned property. Elon Musk participated virtually as a speaker, drawing criticism for engaging in British political discourse and enflaming tensions. Notably, he stated that the British public would need to “fight back or die” in response to migration - remarks widely condemned.

For the upcoming rally, scheduled for May 2026, Republican candidate for Texas Valentina Gomez has been announced as a guest speaker. Gomez has gained notoriety for provocative public actions, including burning the Qur’an, as well as for repeated inflammatory statements about Muslims and ethnic minorities.

Although such speech may fall under protected expression in the United States, it would likely meet the threshold for hate speech under UK law. Gomez’s visa was initially approved by UK authorities, prompting widespread backlash, before being revoked.

In response, Gomez posted a video on social media claiming she had been “banned” from the UK by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, whom she referred to as a “dirty Pakistani Muslim,” arguing that the reason she had been refused entry is because she was not travelling “to rape little girls.” She further stated that, having been unable to fly, she would consider travelling by boat and expect to be accommodated in a luxury hotel - a comment widely interpreted as mocking asylum policies.

Attempted Arson Attack at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow
A series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in north-west London has prompted renewed warnings about escalating threats to the community. The latest incident occurred at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, where an object containing an accelerant was reportedly thrown through a window overnight, causing minor damage but no injuries. Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether the attacks are connected, with particular focus on a group that has claimed responsibility online for targeting Jewish sites across Europe.

Senior officers have indicated that the group may have links to Iran, specifically through the use of criminal proxies - individuals allegedly paid to carry out acts of violence with little direct ideological affiliation. Authorities have stressed that, if identified, those responsible could face prosecution under national security legislation, carrying severe penalties.

Although physical damage in the most recent attack was limited, the cumulative effect of repeated incidents has contributed to growing concern within the Jewish community, particularly in areas already impacted by recent violence.

Concerns Over Vetting of Reform UK Candidates in Greater Manchester
Several Reform UK candidates and campaigners in Greater Manchester - an area where the party is expected to make electoral gains - have faced allegations of sharing xenophobic, Islamophobic, or antisemitic content online, as well as promoting conspiracy theories relating to COVID-19 and vaccination programmes.

An investigation by the Manchester Evening News highlighted activity by Dave Pinfold, election agent for Reform candidate Peter Marsh (Edgeley). Pinfold is reported to have shared posts describing “Allah as Satan,” calling for the closure of mosques in the UK, and resharing imagery widely regarded as inflammatory.

Responding to the controversy, Pinfold stated:

I did mention to the candidate that some of the social media posts I’ve shared were controversial. I asked if I needed to go through vetting but was told it wasn’t needed because I’m an agent. The thing I’ll say is they’re not my posts; they’re shared from accounts that I follow. […] We have freedom of speech, and in hardline Islamic countries Christians are not allowed to practise their religion—that’s the point I would make.

Leo Fruhman, Reform candidate for Mill Hill in Barnet has also recently been exposed for Islamophobic and hateful views shared on Twitter/X under an anonymous account by the name of Johnny Lawrence.

These are not isolated cases. A number of similar incidents involving Reform candidates and affiliates have emerged in recent months, suggesting serious gaps in vetting procedures.

Man Charged in Religiously Motivated Rape Attack
John Ashby, 32, of no fixed address, followed a Sikh woman to her home after she disembarked from a bus in October 2025. At her residence, he raped the victim while subjecting her to Islamophobic abuse, having incorrectly assumed she was Muslim. During a police interview, when shown a photograph of the victim, Ashby reportedly asked why she was not wearing a hijab. The attack has contributed to heightened fear within South Asian communities.

On 24 April, Ashby was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 14 years. The judge described him as a “deeply unpleasant racist and Islamophobe.”

Shaista Gohir, chair of the Muslim Women’s Network, said that this “horrific case exemplifies the ways in which religious hatred is often racialised, with victims being targeted based on perceptions of their appearance, race, ethnicity, or clothing.”

Six Men Jailed in Bolton Grooming Gang Case
Six members of a grooming gang - part of a wider group of ten men - have been jailed for offences committed between 2016 and 2018 in Bolton, involving the rape and abuse of multiple victims aged between 13 and 15.

Sentences varied significantly. Elliot Turner, 36, received a two-year sentence for sexual activity with a minor, while Jack Poulson, 31, was sentenced to 17 years. The ringleader, Ashley Darbyshire, 28, of Westhoughton, pleaded guilty to 19 offences, including multiple counts of rape involving five victims and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

March 2026

The use of AI in garnering right-wing support
In recent years, AI-generated content has increasingly been used to shape political discourse by engaging with existing social and cultural tensions. Cases such as Sri Lankan influencer Geeth Sooriyapura’s circulation of Islamophobic material, as well as the emergence of fully AI-generated personas like the musician Danny Bones, illustrate how synthetic media can be used to disseminate political messaging and attract public engagement. In the case of Bones – reportedly linked to the political party Advance UK – AI appears to function as a tool for communicating ideological positions through music and social media messaging. Similar patterns, though less explicitly political, can be observed in figures such as Jessica Foster, an AI-generated influencer and OnlyFans model, whose rapid growth highlights the capacity of such content to build large, responsive audiences. More recent examples include AI-generated videos depicting Muslims in Australia expressing divisive opinions such as that there is too much pork at the butchers, which have circulated widely and, in some instances, been interpreted as authentic and received hostile responses. Taken together, these developments suggest that AI is becoming an increasingly effective medium for influencing perception and participation in online political and social discourse. Read more here.

Attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances
In the early hours of 23rd March, four ambulances belonging to the Jewish charity Hatzola were set on fire in Golders Green – an area of London with a long-established strong Jewish community. The incident, which caused multiple explosions due to gas cannisters onboard the vehicles, has been treated as an antisemitic hate crime, with the investigation being lead by counter-terrorism police. It occurs within a broader context of rising religiously motivated hate crime across the UK, including incidents in which a children’s nursery and synagogues in Golders Green have had faeces smeared on them, as well as swastikas painted in children’s parks. n the past year, over seven thousand hate crimes have been recorded nationally, with 45% targeting Muslims and 29% targeting Jews, reflecting a broader pattern of hostility affecting multiple religious and ethnic groups, often intensified by divisive political rhetoric.

In response to the arson attack on the Hatzola ambulances, Nigel Farage—leader of Reform UK—posted on X suggesting that the incident demonstrated the need for stricter border controls.

Criticism of Muslim prayers held in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square, London, has long been known as a space for all, hosting numerous events throughout the year. It is home to the annual Christmas tree reveal, has repeatedly hosted the Chanukah in the Square event and Diwali celebrations, and more recently saw an iftar organised during Ramadan by the Muslim community. Invitations to the iftar were open to people of all faiths and beliefs, and, at the time of prayer, those who wished to pray did so. Tory MP Nick Timothy described the event as ‘divisive’ and ‘an act of domination’, prompting strong reactions both in support of and against the claim. Objection to one group’s visible practice of religion risks setting a precedent for the restriction of others, raising broader concerns about the erosion of freedoms and liberties that underpin the UK’s constitutional and social framework. This was highlighted by the Jewish News, who published that:

We would be wise to defend that right for others, because what guarantee do we have that if we were taken from them, we would not be next? We would urge those members of the Jewish community who are inclined to support condemnation of such public prayer to consider where such things can lead – it not particularly difficult to see. Attempts in Western countries to circumscribe the Islamic way of life almost always ends up doing the same to Jews. Whether via attempts to ban religious slaughter, religious courts or circumcision – initiatives where a significant percentage of advocates wish to make life more difficult for Muslims will also affect Jews. […]

Uphold religious rights for all – you’ll never know when you’ll be glad that you did.

Similarly, David Taylor from Premier Christianity said:

If we are honest, we have been comfortable with public expressions of faith and belief in that space for years, particularly when they have been our own. We cannot now decide that this is a problem simply because the people gathering are Muslim. We cannot have it both ways. […]

There are a growing group of voices who, intentionally or not, are contributing to a culture of suspicion and exclusion towards Muslims. That is not British and it is not Christian. More worrying still, it is beginning to shape political thinking, with calls for restrictions on public prayer and religious gatherings. Such proposals would not only affect Muslims, they would also have prevented the kind of Christian witness we have seen in Trafalgar Square for years. […]

Christians should be the first to defend the right of Muslims to gather and pray peacefully in Trafalgar Square. Not because we agree, but because we believe in a society shaped by justice, dignity, and freedom.

Katie Hopkins provides coordinates for Iran bombing
TV personality and provocateur Katie Hopkins shared a post on X providing coordinates for Khamenei to bomb Bradford. While this was most likely intended as a joke, what is concerning is the number of responses in the comments expressing sentiments that show clear signs of racism.

Both Luton and Tower Hamlets are known as comprising of large South Asian and Muslim communities.

Met Police to resume arrests for Palestine Action support.
The Metropolitan Police has resumed arresting individuals for showing support for Palestine Action, despite a High Court ruling that found the government’s ban on the group to be unlawful. Police maintain that, as the government is appealing the decision, the ban remains in effect and must continue to be enforced until the appeal is heard. This has led to growing concern among activists and civil liberties groups, particularly as over 2,500 arrests have already been made in connection with related protests, including individuals detained for expressions of political support. At the same time, reports from imprisoned activists awaiting trial have raised questions about their treatment, with accounts of prolonged hunger strikes and alleged failures to provide adequate medical care. While the government denies wrongdoing, the situation has prompted broader scrutiny of the use of terrorism legislation in the context of pro-Palestine activism and the implications for freedom of expression.

Restore Britain

Restore Britain, founded by Rupert Lowe – a former member of the Reform party who was ousted for being too extreme – began as a pressure group in June 2025. In recent weeks, Lowe announced that the group would transition into a political party positioned to the right of Reform, a move welcomed by figures such as Katie Hopkins.

At the launch event, Lowe outlined a policy of mass deportation, claiming that “millions will have to go”—a statement met with clear support from the audience. Tapping into working-class grievances, Restore Britain’s manifesto on its homepage states that

For 30 years, this country has been run into the ground by an establishment that does not care about the interests and concerns of ordinary British people.

Mass immigration, economic collapse, woke ideology, and the relentless creep of radical Islam – everywhere you look, this country is in decline, and has been for a long time.

Time and again, the decent men and women of this country have tried to use the ballot box to make their voices heard, only to have it thrown back in their faces by a political class that has forgotten who they are supposed to be serving. […]

We do not need more of the same – we need a democratic revolution. I am offering you that opportunity, but it is up to you to take it. I hope you will consider joining me in this fight. Together, we will Restore Britain.

While Restore Britain’s following remains relatively small, the more concerning issue is the nature of the support it is attracting. These appear to be individuals on the far right of the political spectrum, many of whom are likely strongly opposed to a multicultural society as it currently exists.