Deputy British Prime Minister David Lammy faced a storm of boos and heckles on Friday afternoon as he addressed a vigil near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where a worshipper was killed and several others injured during a Yom Kippur terror attack a day earlier, the Independent reported.
The crowd, gathered in pouring rain, accused Lammy and the Government of enabling antisemitism across the UK, particularly on university campuses, and demanded an end to weekly anti-Israel marches. Tensions also flared over the Government’s recent decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
Calls of “go to Palestine, leave us alone” and “shame on you” echoed as Lammy, also Justice Secretary, attempted to deliver a message of unity. One man shouted, “You are all guilty. You have allowed Jew hatred in Manchester, on the streets. We do not want you speaking here today.” Another added, “Empty words. We want action.”
Lammy’s speech was repeatedly interrupted. Scoffs met his opening word “friends,” and cries of “stop the marches” and “you have blood on your hands” forced him to pause multiple times.
“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish people,” Lammy said. “Jewish people… are terrified by the events of yesterday - of becoming targets, victims of antisemitic hate, simply for who they are.”
He praised the Jewish community’s strength and resilience, declaring, “You will never be cowed.” But as he spoke of defying terrorists, one man shouted, “You enabled it, every Saturday,” referencing the anti-Israel demonstrations.
Lammy urged those planning Gaza-related marches to “reflect with all human dignity, grace and understanding” and to “stop and stand back.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)