Kemi Badenoch warns of an ‘epidemic of violence’ against Jewish people as Tory leader says ‘we need to drain the swamp’ on visit to scene of Golders Green attack

Kemi Badenoch today warned of an ‘epidemic of violence’ against Jewish people and spoke of the need to ‘drain the swamp’ as she visited the scene of the Golders Green attack.

The Conservative leader arrived in the north London suburb on Wednesday afternoon after two Jewish men were stabbed in what was declared a terrorist attack.

A 45-year-old man, said to have a history of serious violence and mental health problems, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Jewish leaders have called for tougher action against anti-Semitic violence following the double stabbing at around 11.15am.

Visiting the scene, Ms Badenoch told residents: ‘I’m not the government but I’m telling them what I think should happen.

‘We need to make sure people feel the full force of the law when carrying out these activities. We need to combat Islamic extremism; It’s something that fuels it, it’s not the only thing, but it fuels it.

‘I’ve heard people write about Jewish businesses, Gail’s bakery, etc. We have to combat the misinformation that we see attacking, we have to root out this thing.

‘We spent a lot of time being tolerant and hoping this would go away, but now we need more action, not just words.’

The Tory leader arrived in the north London suburb on Wednesday afternoon after two Jewish men were stabbed in what was declared a terrorist attack.

Jewish leaders have called for tougher action against anti-Semitic violence following the double stabbing at around 11.15am.

The Conservative Party leader added: ‘I can see there are some things fueling this, we need to drain the swamp, there are things that can be done.’

Before her visit to Golders Green, and shortly after news of the attack emerged, Ms Badenoch posted on social media: ‘Jewish people in our country are under constant attack.

‘This is no longer a growing model. There is an epidemic of violence against Jews.

‘This is now a national emergency and must be treated as such by the Government and public authorities.’

Two men, aged 76 and 34, are said to be in a stable condition in hospital after being stabbed on Highfield Avenue in Golders Green.

Disturbing footage posted online appears to show a man waiting at a bus stop donning a kippa before an attacker pounces on him.

Another clip shows two police officers facing the knife-wielding man in the middle of the road, then using a stun gun and kicking the man in the head repeatedly.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told reporters that officers who arrested the suspected terrorist believed he had a bomb when they encountered him.

Scotland Yard boss and Labor Minister Sarah Sackman, the local MP for Finchley and Golders Green, was met with pressure to ‘resign’ and ‘shame on you’ as she arrived on the scene.

A Cobra meeting was called after the stabbing, with Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood vowing that the government would ‘pull every nerve’ to keep Jewish people safe.

Buckingham Palace said the King, who is currently visiting the US, had been informed and was ‘naturally deeply concerned’ about the impact of the incident on the Jewish community.

The scene of Wednesday’s attack is about a half-mile from the memorial wall where the arson attempt took place on Monday and near where four Jewish community ambulances were destroyed by fire in late March.

These are among a spate of alleged arson attacks on Jewish sites in London in recent weeks, with a suspected Iran-backed group called Hayi (Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia) claiming responsibility.

He also said he was responsible for Wednesday’s stabbing, but that is being treated with some skepticism due to the different nature of the stabbing.

Other incidents include arson or attempted arson, and one involved a drone being flown near the Israeli embassy.