Two Jewish people were killed in a terror attack on Thursday, 2 October, the day of the holiest Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, at a Manchester synagogue. Police said they believe the attacker, who was shot dead at the scene, was Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
In a bizarre twist, a pro-Palestine protest was organized in London immediately after the attack, near Downing Street, where violent clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. According to the Daily Mail, one protester declared: ‘I don’t give a f*** about the Jewish community right now.’
The demonstration was billed as an act of solidarity with Greta Thunberg and with the humanitarian aid flotilla of 40 ships—mostly run by Italian NGOs—that had been intercepted by Israeli forces earlier. The interception sparked outrage in Italy as well, where hundreds of thousands took to the streets, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for ‘supporting the genocide’ in Gaza.
According to the Metropolitan Police, in addition to the stabbing at the Manchester synagouge, the attacker was believed to be wearing what appeared to be an explosive vest. The device was later determined to be non-viable. At least three people were seriously injured, suffering wounds from both the car-ramming and the stabbing.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer cut short a foreign trip to return to the UK, chaired emergency meetings, and pledged to ‘defeat antisemitism’ and protect Jewish communities. The attack occurred just days after the UK officially recognized Palestinian statehood on 21 September.
Reacting to the tragedy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the victims and their families. ‘Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism and is proud to be a country where Jewish communities can practice their faith safely,’ he wrote in a post on X. Orbán warned against the rise of antisemitism across Europe, calling it ‘unacceptable’.
Related articles:
