Manchester, England, has tragically joined the growing list of cities worldwide, including Boulder, Colorado, and Washington D.C., that have experienced devastating anti-Jewish violence. On a somber Thursday, British Jews were left stunned and heartbroken, recognizing that the antisemitism already plaguing their nation had taken a deadlier turn.
Over the past two years, Britain, much like other European nations and the United States, has seen a significant increase in antisemitic incidents. This surge is largely linked to the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians and the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza.
While Jewish individuals and places of worship had been targets in several foiled terrorist plots over the last decade, there hadn’t been any recent direct attacks on synagogues in Britain.
David Feldman, co-director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism in London, noted, “We haven’t had an incident like this here. This is, in the most literal sense, extraordinary.”
This tragic incident is poised to intensify Britain’s internal debate surrounding the conflict in Gaza, a conflict that has fueled a global rise in antisemitism and strong anti-Israel sentiment worldwide.
The horrifying news of a man ramming his vehicle and stabbing worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation echoed similar recent traumas. It brought back memories of the June attack in Boulder targeting a rally for Hamas-held hostages and the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington just two months prior.
While cautioning against premature conclusions about the assailant’s identity or motive, Professor Feldman remarked that the attack, which killed two and injured four, “clearly shifts the horizon of possibility.” He added that the Jewish population would process this event in diverse and unpredictable ways, reflecting the deep divisions within the British Jewish community.
In the immediate aftermath, a palpable sense of fear and sorrow enveloped synagogues and Jewish community centers across the country. Police presence was visibly increased at these locations, with officers guarding entrances and engaging with religious leaders, such as those seen at JW3, a prominent Jewish center in North London.
The Community Security Trust, a British charity dedicated to combating antisemitism and enhancing security for Jewish institutions, issued a stark warning: avoid gathering outside communal buildings and ensure synagogue doors remain closed at all times.
The Trust has repeatedly raised concerns about surging antisemitism. Their reports indicate 1,521 antisemitic acts occurred between January and June of this year, encompassing physical assaults, property damage, hateful graffiti, online harassment, and three incidents categorized as “extreme violence.” This marks the second-highest number of anti-Jewish incidents ever recorded in the UK.
The all-time high of 2,019 cases was recorded in the first half of 2024, and followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has caused tens of thousands of casualties, many of them civilians.
On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the alarming rise of antisemitism, stating, “We must be clear it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,” after an emergency cabinet meeting.
Even prior to this latest attack, many commentators observed a pervasive climate of fear among Jewish individuals in Britain, concerned about their safety in daily life.
Eric Pickles, a Conservative member of the House of Lords and former special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, shared in a radio interview, “I’ve witnessed in the past few years friends who are Jewish who are genuinely concerned about their own safety, concerned about their children going on the tube, concerned about their elderly parents on public transport, and I think it’s a reflection of how society has become so visceral and venal.”
London, like other major European cities, has been the scene of numerous large, generally peaceful weekly demonstrations against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have exacerbated a profound humanitarian crisis. Counter-protests in support of Israel have been smaller and less frequent.
However, the nature of these protests has become contentious. The British government recently designated Palestine Action, a prominent pro-Palestinian group, as a terrorist organization after some activists broke into a Royal Air Force base, vandalizing aircraft engines with red paint and crowbars.
In September, London police arrested over 800 demonstrators who had gathered to support Palestine Action. While most were detained for carrying signs, a few faced charges for assaulting police officers.
Prime Minister Starmer recently announced Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state, following in the footsteps of France, Canada, Australia, and Portugal. He cited the “utterly intolerable starvation and devastation” in Gaza as the impetus, believing it could help revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Britain has also blacklisted two far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, and partially halted weapon exports to Israel.
Despite these actions, Starmer continues to face pressure from within his Labour Party for stronger measures against Israel. Some critics argue his pledge to recognize a Palestinian state is too conditional compared to France’s approach, while others demand a complete ban on arms sales, especially given Britain’s continued supply of F-35 fighter jet components used by the Israeli Air Force in Gaza.
Accusations of “Genocide!” have resounded from Labour backbenchers in Parliament, although the government has refrained from officially labeling Israel’s conduct in the Gaza conflict as such.
The distressing images of suffering in Gaza have also created rifts within Britain’s Jewish community, according to Professor Feldman, who noted that recent surveys suggest a decline in the popularity of “the Zionist idea” among British Jews, particularly among younger generations.
The Runnymede Trust, a British social justice think tank, highlighted in a recent report that the current strategies for protecting Jews from hate crimes in Britain are ineffective and may even worsen tensions. The report suggests this approach fosters a perception among other groups that their protection is less prioritized.
Addressing the Jewish community, Prime Minister Starmer offered reassurance: “I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love. And I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”
The Prime Minister, whose wife is Jewish, clearly hopes his words will bring solace. However, as the details of the assailant’s background and motives emerge in the coming days, the Manchester attack is likely to further intensify the heated global debate surrounding the Middle East conflict.
Reporting by Megan Specia and Lizzie Dearden.