Britain vows to beat anti-Semitism after Manchester attack
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Two men were killed on Oct 2 when a man drove a car into pedestrians and then began stabbing them outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANCHESTER, England - The British government vowed to redouble its efforts to tackle anti-Semitism on Oct 3 as the Jewish community reeled from an attack at a Manchester synagogue that killed two people
The Israeli government has accused Britain of allowing rampant anti-Semitism to spread through British cities and on its university campuses in the wake of the Oct 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel that sparked Israel’s war in Gaza.
Earlier on Oct 3, police named the two men killed in the attack as Mr Adrian Daulby, 53, and Mr Melvin Cravitz, 66, both local residents.
The men were killed on Oct 2 when a man drove a car into pedestrians and then began stabbing them
The attacker has been named by police as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, who was shot dead at the scene by armed officers.
Britain’s Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said she understood the strength of feeling held by all sides on the conflict in Gaza, but added that it was important it did not spill over into tensions on British streets.
“We will do whatever is required to keep our Jewish community safe,” Ms Mahmood told Times Radio. “People will see a heavier police presence at all communal facilities – primarily synagogues, but other places within the community as well.”
Anti-Semitism has soared to record levels in Britain since the October 2023 attacks, with Jewish leaders saying they have been left terrified by regular, large pro-Palestine marches in major cities that they say promote hatred towards Jews.
In the hours after the attack on Oct 2, several pro-Palestine protests took place in British cities, with police clashing with demonstrators outside Downing Street, leading to 40 arrests.
Ms Mahmood said the protests, happening just hours after the attack, were “un-British” and dishonourable.
“I would call on everybody who is considering protest in the next day or two to just take a step back, and to show some humanity and some love towards a community that is grieving,” she said. REUTERS
