In Manchester, Prayers Turn to Anger After Attack on Synagogue
Jewish residents say successive governments allowed antisemitism to fester.
Members of the public react as they gather near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, in Manchester, England on Oct. 2.
Photographer: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesFriday’s vigil for the victims of a deadly attack outside a Manchester synagogue began with prayer and calls for peace, but quickly spilled over into anger as UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy took the stage to shouts of “shame on you” and “it’s your fault.”
Close to the front of the crowd, Tony Levene, a 50-year-old Jewish resident of Prestwich, near Manchester, was among the hecklers. “You know, words are meaningless. We demand action here,” he said. “They’ve allowed hate on the streets of Britain to fester, they’ve allowed it on the campuses, they’ve allowed it on social media, they’ve allowed so much all over, and nothing’s been done.”