Television presenter and barrister Rob Rinder, 47, recounts a shocking encounter with a youth shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ at him in central London, just days after a terror stabbing in Golders Green. Rinder, who is Jewish, emphasizes that ‘hatred is learned’ amid rising anti-Semitism.
Rinder’s Personal Encounter
On Carnaby Street in Soho, a young person on a bicycle approached Rinder, initially appearing friendly before yelling ‘Heil Hitler.’ Rinder shared the incident on social media, stating: ‘On Carnaby Street last night, a kid on a bike cycled up, saw it was me, looked friendly at first, then offered up his favourite “lyric”: “Heil Hitler”.’
He reflected: ‘I wasn’t sure whether to share this. I hadn’t experienced that personally before. The most striking thing: I wasn’t shocked. No threat. No anger. Not a victim. Just: what has he been taught? Hatred is learned. We are not defined by it. We answer it by what we teach.’
Golders Green Terror Attack
The incident follows a brutal stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday. Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and received hospital treatment.
Essa Suleiman, 45, a Somali-born British national, faces charges of attempted murder for the Golders Green attack, possession of a bladed article in public, and another attempted murder earlier that day against his friend of 20 years, Ishmail Hussein, in Southwark. Hussein sustained minor injuries. Suleiman appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Bodycam footage captures officers Tasering Suleiman as he advanced with a knife, then kicking him in the head while shouting ‘drop the knife’ after he was incapacitated.
Responses to the Attack
Following the stabbings, Rinder condemned ‘months of poison’ that normalizes anti-Semitism, declaring: ‘This does not come out of nowhere. It follows months of poison that downplays antisemitism, treats Jewish fear as suspect and turns public space into a place where that hostility feels normal. We’re told “antisemitism has no place in our society.” Then act like it.’
Countdown host Rachel Riley called the attack ‘horrific’ and criticized politicians: ‘Waiting for the bingo card response of “no place for antisemitism in our society” from politicians and media who have helped stoke this crisis.’
Backlash Against Green Party Leader
Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski drew criticism for reposting a tweet claiming officers ‘violently’ kicked a ‘mentally ill man’ in the head. The post questioned Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s leadership.
Sir Mark defended the officers, noting the suspect was armed and carried a backpack that could contain explosives. He called the tweet ‘inaccurate and misinformed commentary,’ adding: ‘Without their efforts to stop him, I dread to think what the outcome could have been.’
Polanski later apologized: ‘Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature… I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste. Police responses… do need later reflection… I have invited Mark Rowley to meet with me.’
Escalating National Threat
The UK’s terror threat level rose to ‘severe’ on Friday, signaling a highly likely attack. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described anti-Semitism as a ‘national emergency’ and announced £25 million in extra funding for Jewish community security and policing.
