Up to £10 million will be given by the Government to Jewish communities to increase security after the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack, it has been confirmed today (October 16).
A Downing Street announcement said security around synagogues and Jewish schools ‘will be ramped up thanks to record levels of funding to protect communities and help targeted groups feel safe’.
The cash, said No 10, would be ‘dedicated to paying for more security staff and equipment around Jewish sites, such as CCTV, alarms and floodlights’.
The Community Security Trust, which works to protect the UK’s Jewish communities and tackle antisemitism, welcomed the move, calling it ‘a vital emergency boost’. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, said a rise in reported antisemitism across the country was a ‘devastating truth’.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died in the attack, which unfolded on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall.
Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, who was shot dead at the scene by GMP firearms officers, tried to force his way inside to commit further murder.
Al-Shamie called 999 during the attack and ‘pledged allegiance to Islamic State’. The 35-year-old was carrying two knives and wearing a ‘hoax device’ at the time. He drove into worshippers outside the Middleton Road synagogue before attacking them with a knife.
The Government said statistics published last week showed religious hate crime was at its highest ever levels and Jewish people were more targeted than any other group.
The Prime Minister has also ordered a review of antisemitism in the NHS, saying there are too many cases ‘simply not being dealt with’.
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking during a visit to the CST on Thursday, where the Government response to the atrocity was discussed, said Lord John Mann, the Government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, would lead the review as part of a wider crackdown on antisemitism in the UK.
The PM said: “I was in Manchester the day after the horrific terrorist attack and saw first-hand the fear that many Jewish people are facing.
“Not just on that terrible day, but every day, and in every part of their lives. The devastating truth is that antisemitism is on the rise in Britain, and we must defeat it.
“In the days after the attack, I promised to do everything in my power to give Jewish communities the security they deserve, and this work has already begun. We are giving record levels of funding to scale up security at synagogues and faith schools, and we are giving the powers they need to tackle protests that cause repeat disruption to communities and intimidate worshippers, but more must be done.
“Tackling this hatred will not be solved with quick fixes. It will take work across communities and in every part of our country and every part of our society. It is a national effort that I am determined this government will lead.”
Mark Gardner, CST Chief Executive said: “This is a vital emergency boost for security measures at a crucial time for the Jewish community, as we confront the aftermath of the appalling Islamist terrorist attack in Manchester. This fund will strengthen the security infrastructure protecting our synagogues, schools, and community buildings, at a time when Jews remain, proportionally, the most likely victims of hate crime in the UK.
“We are grateful for this announcement and will continue to work closely with the government and community partners: but the root causes of antisemitism and extremism must be acknowledged and tackled if long term change is to occur.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Our Jewish community shouldn’t have to choose between worship and safety. No one should be forced to live a smaller Jewish life in our country.
“Hatred and violence seeks to divide us. But we choose the path of solidarity. We stand with the Jewish community, and with all communities, who have been forced to live in fear.”
