Two Jewish men were ‘interrogated’ about their views on Israel and Gaza in an exchange in Greater Manchester.
The two men, who were wearing kippahs, were entering a property in Bury last Wednesday when they were stopped by two other men.
They were asked if they were ‘Zionist’ and ‘for Palestine’ before being labelled a ‘problem’ by one of the men.
The incident, which took place on the same day as the Golders Green terror attack that left two Jewish men in hospital in London, has been described as the ‘chilling new normal’ for Jews living in Britain.
It follows a series of antisemitic incidents in recent weeks, including arson attacks on synagogues and Jews being targeted with racist abuse.
CCTV footage captured how, as the two men opened the door of the property, a voice could be heard on camera asking them: ‘You Zionist?’
This was followed by ‘or Orthodox?’, and prompted the two Jewish men to pause and look around.
Two men could be seen standing in the street with one calling out to the pair, asking them: ‘You two for Palestine?’
The two men, who were wearing kippahs, were entering a property in Bury last Wednesday when they were stopped by two men asking them questions
Video captured two men standing in the street calling out to the pair, and asking them: ‘You two for Palestine?’
One of the Jewish men responded by asking whether it ‘makes a difference’.
The second man in the street then appeared to backtrack, telling them there was ‘no problem’, adding: ‘No fight.’
A third man could then be seen joining the pair, with the first man appearing to say in relation to the Jewish men: ‘He is problem [sic]’.
The incident was reported to Greater Manchester Police, but the force is said to have told the pair that the footage ‘does not clearly evidence any criminal offences… and therefore the report has been updated and closed’.
The force added that the local neighbourhood policing team was ‘made aware of this incident’ and ‘will factor this incident into their safeguarding and patrolling plans going forwards’.
One of the men said he did not think the police response was adequate and that he feels ‘unprotected’ and ‘vulnerable’ in public.
He said he had been at work when one of the men ‘started interrogating [us]’ – acting in such a manner that the pair feared the situation could escalate into violence.
It took place on April 29, the same day that two Jewish men were stabbed in a terror attack in Golders Green, north London.
Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, named locally as Moshe Shine, 76, were attacked by a knifeman in broad daylight on Wednesday morning.
Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder in relation to the two men and a separate attack on his friend, Ishmail Hussein, earlier that morning.
It comes amid a spate of attacks against the Jewish community in Britain, which has led the Campaign Against Antisemitism to declare the issue a ‘national emergency’.
As a third man joined the group, one appeared to refer to the Jewish men as the ‘problem’
In London, forensic investigators have been carrying out probes at a former synagogue on Nelson Street in Whitechapel after a fire was started shortly after 5am on Tuesday
The Met Police said on Tuesday it is investigating after a former synagogue was set ablaze in an arson attack in the early hours of this morning.
The former synagogue, in Nelson Street, Tower Hamlets, was targeted shortly after 5am.
Police said the fire was ‘started intentionally’ and the Counter Terror Police are leading the investigation.
Elsewhere, there have been arson attacks at the Finchley Reform and Kenton United synagogues, as well as at a TV station critical of the Iranian regime.
There have also been attacks at the former premises of a Jewish charity and on Hatzola, another Jewish charity which provides volunteer-run ambulances for everyone in the local community.
Jews living in Britain have also reported being subjected to an uptick in harassment while going about their daily lives.
One such incident saw property surveyor Moshe targeted in an unprovoked incident in Slough on April 23, in which a stranger shouted abuse at him and called him a ‘dirty motherf****** Jew’.
He was working in Slough when he was approached by stranger Shafiq Rahman on a bicycle.
The 48-year-old, of Lismore Park, Slough, subjected him to a torrent of abuse and racial slurs and accused him of being a ‘baby killer’.
The attack, which was caught on video, saw Rahman threaten Moshe with physical violence, saying ‘I’ll break your f****** jaw’ before accusing him of ‘killing kids in Palestine’.
The incident in Bury took place on the same day as the terror attack in Golders Green, north London, which saw two Jewish men stabbed
He told how the man again said ‘You killing kids in Palestine, you motherf*****?’ before hitting him.
Rahman was arrested by police and admitted racially aggravated common assault, fear or provocation of violence by words and criminal damage at Reading Magistrates’ Court.
In a tragic turn of events, Moshe was then also caught up in last week’s attack in Golders Green, after he arrived at the scene moments after the stabbings took place.
The government has pledged a tough response to the crisis, but leading Jewish organisations including the CAA have accused Sir Keir Starmer of being too slow to act.
Speaking at a roundtable in Downing Street this morning, the Prime Minister listed a series of security measures put in place to protect the Jewish community, before adding: ‘Security is essential, but that is not enough. We must also deal with the forces that drive this hatred in the first place, so we’re confronting them directly.
‘One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents. We’re investigating, of course, all the possibilities and we’re clear that these actions will have consequences if that proves to be the case.
‘Our message to Iran, or to any other country that might seek to foment violence, hatred or division in society, is that it will not be tolerated. That is why we are fast-tracking legislation to tackle these malign threats.’
He continued: ‘We’re clear-eyed about the fact that antisemitism does not have one source alone: Islamists, far left, far right extremism, all target Jewish communities.
‘That is why this Government has put in place the first co-ordinated national plan to strengthen cohesion and confront extremism in all of its forms.’
Responding to the incident in Bury, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ‘The real ‘problem’ here is that people think it’s acceptable – indeed virtuous – to harass Jewish people over ‘Palestine’ and try to intimidate them into agreeing with their genocidal views.
‘Incidents like this have become the new normal in our cities. Our society has changed before our eyes, and the authorities are struggling to wake up to the crisis, let alone start to address it.
‘What is happening to Jewish people in Britain is a national emergency, and it won’t end with the Jews.’
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: ‘We fully understand the fear that Jewish communities across Greater Manchester are experiencing, which is why we’re continuing with increased patrols and frequent community engagement to better understand and address any concerns raised.
‘Whenever we receive a report of a crime, we comprehensively assess it to ensure it receives the appropriate response. All crimes are investigated and help inform our policing plans going forward, so we would urge anyone with any issues to please raise them with us.
‘We want to ensure that everyone feels safe in our local areas, and we will continue taking proactive action locally and at a force-level to ensure a comprehensive policing approach to protect those in our Jewish communities.
‘GMP can be contacted directly via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.’
