Golders Green, grief, and the politics of selective outrage

The stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green was an ugly and frightening act. There should be no hesitation in saying so. No political cause, no war abroad, no grievance against a government can excuse violence against civilians on a London street.But the question is not whether the attack was wrong. It plainly was. The question is what happened next: how quickly a violent incident became a national morality play; how swiftly political leaders, lobby groups and much of the media moved from co