UK urges protesters to stand down after synagogue attack
Britain’s government and London police urged organizers to cancel an anti‑Israel demonstration scheduled for Oct. 4 after a deadly Yom Kippur synagogue attack in Manchester. Prime Minister Keir Starmer published an op‑ed asking demonstrators to "respect the grief of British Jews," while Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned the force would arrest those who deliberately broke the law; dozens of arrests were reported in Trafalgar Square as Defend Our Juries pressed ahead in support of the banned group Palestine Action.
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📌 Key Facts
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in The Jewish Chronicle urging planned protests be cancelled to 'respect the grief of British Jews.'
- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned the Met would 'call in support from forces across the U.K.' and warned organizers of arrests.
- Defend Our Juries staged a Trafalgar Square demonstration in support of Palestine Action — a group Parliament banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 — and police made multiple arrests; the article includes a reported arrest count from the policing operation.
- The synagogue attack in Heaton Park left two worshippers dead (Melvin Cravitz, 66; Adrian Daulby, 53); police identified the attacker as 35‑year‑old British citizen Jihad Al Shamie.