Shabana Mahmood has called on pro-Gaza demonstrators to stop protesting in the wake of the terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester.
The home secretary condemned a protest that took place in Manchester in the wake of the stabbing, calling on those who attended to “show some humanity”.
“I think some humanity could have been shown. I am disappointed that humanity and solidarity wasn’t shown to our Jewish community,” she told Sky News.
Ms Mahmood added: “I was very disappointed to see those protests go ahead last night. I think that behaviour is fundamentally un-British. I think it’s dishonourable. I would have wanted those individuals to just take a step back.
“The issues that are driving those protests have been going on now for some time. They don’t look like they’re going to come to an end any day soon. They could have stepped back and just given a community that has suffered deep loss just a day or two to process what has happened, and to carry on with a grieving process.”
Ahead of a visit to Manchester, chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said this is a “very dark time”, as he referred to an “unrelenting wave of hatred against Jews”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sir Ephraim said: “Right now, our hearts are shattered. What transpired yesterday was an awful blow to us, something which actually we were fearing might happen because of the build-up to this action.
“I’m going to be arriving in Manchester early this morning, together with my wife, in order to be with a grieving community, and this is a very dark time – not just for Jews of Britain, but for all of our society – because this wasn’t merely an attack against Jews, it was an attack against the values of our society.”
He added: “We have witnessed an unrelenting wave of hatred against Jews being expressed on our streets, on campuses, right across social media and [in] some of the media.”
And the chief Rabbi said so many people in the Jewish community “and well beyond it” wonder why marches in support of Palestine Action are allowed to take place.
But green party leader Zack Polanski accused the home secretary of being ‘deeply irresponsible’ with her call to halt the march.
He said: “I think ultimately conflating protests against a genocide in Gaza and ultimately weaponizing that against an anti-semitic attack on our streets, a terrorist attack, is deeply irresponsible. And again, democratic, non-violent protest is a cornerstone of our democracy.
“And I think it’s worrying when government are increasingly trying to crush down dissent, and again, using what is a brutal attack that many of us in the Jewish community, that all of us in the Jewish community, are feeling very deeply, to try and use that to point at a protest and say people don’t have a right to also speak out against a genocide is both conflating issues, it is incoherent and it’s exactly the opposite of what we need from politicians.
“We need statesmanship in this moment. We need responsibility. We need people to be sensitive about their language, but also recognize that there is complexity for this and it can’t just be about finger pointing at people who are very worried about a genocide.“
Labour MP Kim Johnson also told the Independent the march should go ahead and “policing should prioritise public safety over silencing peaceful protest.”
She said: “We must stand together to condemn the awful violence in Manchester – there is no place for hate. But the Defend Our Juries response is right – banning Palestine Action has put unnecessary strain on the Met Police. Political decisions like this are diverting resources away from tackling genuine threats to our communities. The march should go ahead this weekend, and policing should prioritise public safety over silencing peaceful protest.”
However, Lord Walney, the government’s former adviser on political violence, said Ms Mahmood was “absolutely right”.
He added: “I hope Labour will instruct its elected representatives to play no part in these demonstrations. We particularly need to see leadership from Andy Burnham about the planned Palestine protest in Manchester tomorrow.”
The home secretary also confirmed on Friday that the man who carried out the antisemitic terror attack, Jihad al-Shamie, was not previously known to police, and had not been referred to the Prevent programme.
Greater Manchester Police said that Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died after Shamie drove into a group of people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing a man.
Hours after the attack – which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day – pro-Palestine demonstrations took place in Westminster, Manchester and Leeds.
Asked about the demonstrations, Ms Mahmood said: “To anybody who is thinking about going on a protest, what I would say is imagine if that was you that has had a family member murdered on the holiest day in your faith. Imagine how you would feel, and then just step back for a minute.
“Give people a chance to grieve. We can get back to our protest later. Just because you have a freedom, [it] doesn’t mean you have to use it.”
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings in Manchester.
Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall on Thursday morning. He had entered the UK as a young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006 at around the age of 16.
It is understood that his name has not appeared in initial searches of police and Security Service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation.
Greater Manchester Police said that while formal identification is yet to take place, the families of Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz, both from Crumpsall, have been informed and offered support by family liaison officers.
On Friday morning, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that extra officers would provide a “high visibility” presence in North Manchester, Bury, and Salford within Jewish communities and around synagogues. There will also be increased visits to local places of worship, police added.
Further plans will be developed throughout Friday to ensure appropriate measures are in place into the evening and across the weekend.
