Starmer vows protection for Jews after Manchester synagogue terror attack as leaders across faiths, politics and abroad unite in condemnation and calls for action against rising antisemitism…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the Manchester synagogue terror attack, promising security to every Jew staying in the country. He said that “anti-semitism” is a hatred that is rising in the country, and that it should be defeated.
“This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews. Anti-semitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again. To every Jewish person in this country: I promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security you deserve,” Starmer wrote on X.
The attack took place in the Crumpsall area of Manchester, where a car was driven into members of the public and a man was stabbed. At least two people were killed, and three others remain in serious condition. Police confirmed that the suspected attacker was shot by armed officers and is believed to be dead.
Worshippers who were inside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at the time were evacuated as emergency services responded to the scene. Following the attack, Greater Manchester Police declared PLATO, a national code used when armed officers are deployed across the force in response to an ongoing attack.
Starmer announced “additional police assets” will be deployed at synagogues across the country.” The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X. “My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected.”
The prime minister flew back to the UK early from the European Political Community summit in Denmark on Thursday to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee and respond to the attack.
Many national figures and community leaders have issued statements as the gravity of what happened becomes clear. King Charles III said in a statement that he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened” to hear about the attack, “especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “barbaric terror attack”. “Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”
Israel’s foreign minister accused the UK government of failing to curb “rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement in Britain”. Gideon Sa’ar said Israel expects “more than words from the Starmer government” and demanded a “change of course” on tackling anti-Jewish hatred.
The Israeli embassy in the UK said it was “in close contact” with the Manchester Jewish community, the authorities and Jewish charity the Community Security Trust (CST) to “ensure that the necessary support is provided”.
Thanking the police and synagogue security for their response, the CST said it was an “appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year” and it was working with the police and local Jewish community.
President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, called for more to be done to “stamp out murderous ideologies” following the attack. “Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue,” he said in a statement.
Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and atonement and is believed to be the day God seals the fate of each person for the coming years. It is a day set aside for prayer and reflection, when work is forbidden and many attend synagogue services even if they do not do so regularly.
The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the incident was “the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come”. He said the attack was the “tragic result” of an “unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere. Our hearts are shattered.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said: “We are devastated at the loss of two members of our Jewish community, and our thoughts are with their families, those who are injured and receiving treatment, and all those who have been affected by this act of antisemitic terror.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Imam Qari Asim, co-chairman of the British Muslim Network, who said the scenes in Manchester had “no place in our society” and “antisemitism in all its forms is totally unacceptable”. “The bloodshed and violence in the Middle East – which is excruciatingly painful to witness for all of us – must not be allowed to poison our streets in Britain,” he said.
And Allama Qamaruzzaman AzmI, chief imam of Anwaar ul Haramain Jamé Masjid in north Manchester, said “we stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbours and community” and he was “committed” to strengthening the bond between them.
