Boy George has described breaking down in tears after arriving in Golders Green as emergency services responded to a violent attack on two Jewish men in the North London suburb.
The singer, 64, said he reached the area on Wednesday, April 29, just as the police response was building. The attack, which took place shortly after 11am, left two men in hospital and has intensified concern over the safety of Jewish communities in the UK.
Two victims named after Golders Green stabbing
The two victims have been named as Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76. Both are said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
A 45-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder after being shot with a stun gun.
Jonathan Hall, the government’s adviser on terrorism, has said this incident and other recent attacks on Jewish people amount to “the biggest national security emergency” in almost a decade. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has since committed £25 million for security around synagogues, schools and community centres.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the incident an “antisemitic attack” and described it as “utterly appalling”.
Boy George: “You could feel panic in the air”
Posting a video on X showing police tape blocking access to a street, with police cars and ambulances nearby, Boy George wrote: “I was in Golders Green yesterday.
“I arrived just as the police presence was building. My heart goes out to the two Jewish victims and to their loved ones.”
He added that “we need to make our Jewish community know we support them”.
“Even before I knew what had happened, I was in tears because you could feel panic in the air. These are just regular people getting with their lives.
“London has always been a great multicultural city. Our Jewish community brings us so much.
“They are an integral part of the fabric of this city.”
Alongside the post, he shared Amy Winehouse’s 2006 song Love Is A Losing Game. It was a small gesture, but clearly chosen with feeling rather than strategy.
Chloe Madeley says Golders Green residents are “scared”
TV personality Chloe Madeley also responded on social media, saying Golders Green has been her home for most of her life.
“Golders Green is my home, its residents are my neighbours and friends, and this is a very real, very scary sequence of events,” she wrote. “Humanity must prevail. Division is dangerous. Communities must stand together.”
In a longer Instagram statement, Madeley said she had lived in Golders Green for 29 years and had found “the multiple, recent events of vandalism, arson, verbal abuse and violent attacks” deeply upsetting and frightening.
She said she could “only imagine” how Jewish neighbours and friends in the area were feeling, adding that people must not “project blame or hate onto innocent people” who are simply trying to live their lives, care for their families and get through the day.
Madeley stressed she was not claiming to know the motive behind Wednesday’s attack, but said that over recent months she had seen and heard things that made that kind of projection feel “both commonplace and seemingly acceptable”.
She also thanked Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood safety patrol group, and the Metropolitan Police for their visible presence in the community, saying that even though she is not Jewish, she had felt “deep gratitude” for them.
She concluded that “humanity and compassion are needed now more than ever”.
Wider fears for Jewish safety in the UK
The Golders Green attack comes a month after an arson attack in the same suburb targeting ambulances owned by a Jewish charity.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the latest attack showed that “if you are visibly Jewish, you’re not safe”.
The incident has also landed at a time when Boy George’s public support for Jewish people has already been part of the wider entertainment conversation.
Last month, he defended his decision to take part in Eurovision after it was announced he would represent San Marino alongside Italian singer Senhit. His participation came after five countries boycotted the contest following Israel being allowed to compete.
Speaking at the London Eurovision Party, Boy George said: “I have many, many Jewish friends that I’ve had since I was 15 or 16 years old.
“Are people asking me as a principled human being to turn my back on my Jewish friends? It’s not going to happen, it’s never going to happen.
“From the beginning of my career, I wore a Jewish star. Go back and look at pictures of Culture Club. I am so affiliated with Jewish people.”
On Israel, he said he was “not necessarily affiliated” with the country and did not “really have an opinion on that”.
For Golders Green residents, the focus now is less on statements and more on the immediate question of safety. For public figures speaking out, the message has been pointedly simple: Jewish Londoners should not have to wonder whether being visible in their own neighbourhood makes them a target.
