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| Starmer to protesters: 'Respect grief of British Jews' | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria, visited the scene in Manchester on Friday morning | |
| Sir Keir Starmer has said pro-Palestinian protests planned for this weekend will cause "distress" and urged those thinking of taking part to "recognise and respect the grief of British Jews" after Thursday's synagogue attack. | |
| "It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain," the prime minister wrote in The Jewish Chronicle. | |
| It comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called for demonstrators to "step back" and give people a chance to grieve. | |
| Green Party leader Zack Polanski said there should be space and nuance to allow for both grief and non-violent protest. | |
| A spokesperson for protest group Defend Our Juries said: "Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win." | |
| What we know about synagogue attack | What we know about synagogue attack |
| Eyewitnesses describe Manchester synagogue attack | Eyewitnesses describe Manchester synagogue attack |
| Who was the Manchester synagogue attacker? | Who was the Manchester synagogue attacker? |
| In an article for the Jewish Chronicle published on Friday, Sir Keir said: "Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy – and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza – but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes. | |
| "I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain." | |
| A pro-Palestinian protest took place in Manchester on Thursday night. Demonstrators in London protesting against the Israeli navy halting a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza clashed with police too. | |
| The Metropolitan Police said 40 people had been arrested. Six of those detained were arrested for assaults on police officers. | The Metropolitan Police said 40 people had been arrested. Six of those detained were arrested for assaults on police officers. |
| Speaking earlier on Friday, Mahmood said she was "disappointed" pro-Palestinian protests had gone ahead on Thursday. | |
| "I do think that carrying on in this way does feel un-British, it feels wrong," she added, speaking on BBC Breakfast. | |
| "It is important to draw a line between what is happening in the Middle East and what is happening at home." | |
| "I would say to people who are planning to go on a protest is to just take a step back for a minute, and imagine if you had lost a loved one to a terror attack in this country," she said. | "I would say to people who are planning to go on a protest is to just take a step back for a minute, and imagine if you had lost a loved one to a terror attack in this country," she said. |
| She said there were "strong" powers to protect the freedom to protest, but that they could be overridden on the advice of the police. | |
| "I can take my lead from the police, if they were to tell me there was an inability to respond and to police the protests, then there are powers that are available," she said. | |
| Home secretary calls pro-Palestine protests after Manchester attack ‘un-British’ | |
| Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said he didn't have the powers to prevent protests or ask the home secretary to do so but also questioned whether they should proceed. | |
| "There's a risk the timing of that event sends a message which, whether inadvertently or deliberately, endorses antisemitism, which is a deep risk to community tension," he said. | |
| The Met has written to the protest group Defend Our Juries, raising concerns about the amount of police resources its planned protest would divert at a time when "visible reassurance and protective security" was needed for communities. | |
| But the group, which has led demonstrations against the ban on Palestine Action, said it planned to go ahead with the march. | But the group, which has led demonstrations against the ban on Palestine Action, said it planned to go ahead with the march. |
| A spokesperson condemned the Manchester attack and said the group "stood in solidarity" with the Jewish community. | |
| The group urged the force to "prioritise protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs" in support of Palestine Action. | |
| The government proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July. At various protests since then, hundreds have been arrested for showing support for the group, which has won permission to challenge the ban. | The government proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July. At various protests since then, hundreds have been arrested for showing support for the group, which has won permission to challenge the ban. |
| The Met will deploy 1,500 officers to arrest anyone breaking the law by overtly supporting the group. | |
| The UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that many members of the Jewish community wondered why marches in support of Palestine Action had been allowed to take place. | The UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that many members of the Jewish community wondered why marches in support of Palestine Action had been allowed to take place. |
| "Some of them contain outright antisemitism, outright support for Hamas. Not every single person, however there is so much of this, which certainly is dangerous to many within our society," Sir Ephraim said. | |
| "You cannot separate the words on our streets, the actions of people in this way, and what inevitably results, which was yesterday's terrorist attack," he said. | |
| He also called on the government "yet again", to "get a grip on these demonstrations, they are dangerous". | He also called on the government "yet again", to "get a grip on these demonstrations, they are dangerous". |
| However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said said "non-violent protest has a really important part to play in our democracy". | |
| "I think it's important in democracy we find space and we find nuance that people can both grieve and people can protest for the people that they are grieving and all of these things can be true at the same time," he told the BBC. | |
| Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson appealed for those intending to protest in the city this weekend to "consider whether this is really the right time". | Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson appealed for those intending to protest in the city this weekend to "consider whether this is really the right time". |
| He said his force would not seek to stop peaceful gatherings, but said police would immediately act to curtail any acts of violence or intimidation. | He said his force would not seek to stop peaceful gatherings, but said police would immediately act to curtail any acts of violence or intimidation. |
| A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which is planning a demonstration in the city's Cathedral Gardens on Saturday, said: "Because we recognise the sensitivity of the local situation, there will be a Jewish speaker who understands what both communities are going through." | |