Manchester synagogue terror attack statement
Home Secretary statement on the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Thursday 2 October.
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the terrorist attack on the 2nd of October, and the action this government is taking in response.
May I start by calling this attack what it was:
An evil act of antisemitic terrorism, that targeted innocent worshippers on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. And that was carried out by a terrorist pledging his allegiance to the warped ideology of Islamism.
Let me pay tribute to the two men who were killed that day: Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby.
Their bravery saved countless lives.
On behalf of the whole House, I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to their families and friends. May their memory be a blessing.
A further three men were seriously injured in the attack. I know all our thoughts are with them. Alongside all those who were caught up in these terrible events.
I would like to also thank those whose bravery saved lives: Worshippers, staff and volunteers from the Community Security Trust. And the emergency services, who acted with speed and the utmost professionalism.
This is a moment of profound national sorrow.
An attack on our Jewish community, is an attack on this entire nation. And it calls on us to assert, once more, our determination to tackle extremism, antisemitism and hatred wherever it appears.
Mr Speaker, while the events of that day are painful to recount – it is important that we do.
On the morning of Thursday the 2nd of October, a terrorist drove a car at worshippers. Outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester.
The driver then left his vehicle, armed with a knife, and resumed his attack. He was wearing what was later determined to be a fake explosive device. Though it should be remembered that all present had every reason to believe that bomb was real.
When the first call came into the emergency services, Greater Manchester Police declared a major incident and firearms officers were deployed. Within seven minutes of that call, the attacker had been intercepted and shot dead.
Melvin Cravitz was killed by the attacker. Tragically, initial findings now indicate that Adrian Daulby sustained a gunshot wound during the armed police response.
As is standard in such cases, an investigation is being carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct - IOPC.
But there are two things I can say: Firstly, it is important to note that the IOPC has confirmed the officers involved in the response are being treated as witnesses. Secondly, it must be remembered that the police acted in a situation where they believed a terrorist was likely to detonate an explosive device.
The necessary processes must now take their course, and I expect the IOPC to complete them as quickly as possible.
Mr Speaker, there is no ambiguity around who is responsible for the deaths and injuries that took place on that day. Members will be aware the attack was carried out by Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent.
We know he came to this country as a child. And was registered as a British citizen while still a minor. He was never referred to the Prevent programme, nor was he known to counter-terrorism policing or the security services.
He had, however, recently been arrested on rape charges, for which he was on bail at the time of the attack. Investigators believe the attacker was influenced by extreme Islamist ideology.
Evident in a 999 call he made, during the incident, in which he pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
Six people were arrested following the attack and were released without charge. One was subsequently re-arrested and has been bailed.
I know that there are many questions that the public and members of this House, rightly, demands answers to. Those answers will come. But, for now, the investigation is ongoing, and we must allow that work to take its course.
We do know that voices in the Jewish community had long been warning that this day would come. And that Jews who had long felt safe in this country – in their country – now no longer do.
Now this awful day has come to pass, we must learn from it. So that we do everything within our power to ensure it does not happen again. Our immediate priority was to enhance security.
Visible officer patrols have been stepped up at synagogues and other sites, in Manchester and across the country. Additional support has been made available to more than 500 locations.
And while there have been longstanding security arrangements in place, with £18 million of funding each year for the Community Security Trust. It is clear that more must be done.
We will provide our Jewish community with the protection they deserve.
Because no one should be forced to live a smaller Jewish life in their country because of the events of October the 2nd.
Mr Speaker, our posture at religious sites is one of maximum vigilance. That applies to the Jewish community. And it also applies to British Muslims.
I know members across the House will have been disturbed by a suspected arson attack that took place at a mosque in Peacehaven, in East Sussex, last week.
The Policing Minister visited the mosque – and met those forced to flee for their lives in terrifying circumstances. And we have discussed this with the Honourable Member for Brighton, Kemptown and Peacehaven who I know also visited the mosque on Friday.
Let me be clear: Violence directed at any community – be they Jewish or Muslim, of all faiths or none – are attacks on our entire country.
I know this country is united in our condemnation of those who seek to divide us. Because one of the greatest achievements of this country has been our tolerance.
Our ability to accept and embrace difference, our generosity towards those who may not look the same. But are encompassed, comfortably, within a single national identity.
It was for that reason that I was so affronted by the protests that took place in the days after the attack. These were a clear source of fear to the Jewish community, grieving just days after an unspeakable tragedy.
The same was true on the anniversary of the October 7th attacks. I described those protests as ‘un-British’ and I stand by that.
Because those protesters showed none of the generosity of spirit that I love about this country. And they most certainly did their cause no good whatsoever.
The right to protest is a fundamental freedom but it must be balanced against the right the public has to their safety and security.
In my conversations with community leaders and the police in recent days, it is clear that balance has not been struck. For that reason, I can confirm to the House today that we will amend sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986.
The police will now be able to take account of the ‘cumulative impact’ of frequent protests when considering whether to impose conditions. This will mean that protests that follow the same routes, time and again, can be forced to change their route, or the time of a protest.
I am also reviewing all existing legislation to ensure our public order powers are fit for purpose and are being consistently applied. The right to protest must and will be protected.
But of all the freedoms we enjoy, none is more precious than the right to live in safety.
Mr Speaker, the government’s first responsibility is to keep the public safe. Since 2017, the Security Service and the police have disrupted more than 40 plots. This work has saved countless lives.
Through our counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, we continue to tackle threats to this country, including those posed by Islamist terrorism, which remains our primary domestic threat.
And through programmes like Prevent, we seek to stop the slide into extremism that is drawing in far too many young people today. Once the investigation into this attack is complete, we will know more about how it took place.
But the reality is we now face a domestic terrorist threat in this country that is more complex, less predictable, and harder to detect than ever before. That threat will never be defeated unless we address the hate that fuels it.
That means acting on the rising tide of antisemitism in this country. Mr Speaker, I am horrified when I hear our Jewish community talking about their fear. In a country that once offered a rare island of sanctuary in an all-too-often hostile world.
We have, in the days since the attack, stepped up our efforts to tackle antisemitism wherever it is found:
Challenging misinformation and hatred in schools. Calling on vice chancellors to do more to protect Jewish students at universities and local authorities to use their powers to protect the community.
As well as reviewing the clearly inadequate regulation that protects Jewish staff and patients in the National Health Service. While these are important steps, more must be done. Antisemitism is the oldest hatred. We must now redouble our efforts to fight it once more.
Mr Speaker, terrorists seek one thing: To divide us. They hate a society like ours.
Where different communities live together in harmony. United by a common identity that transcends the colour of our skin or the nature of our faith.
This attack has raised questions that must be answered. About the security that we provide to our Jewish community.
About how we address a rising tide of antisemitism. About how we bring communities together, rather than allowing some to separate off into dark corners.
Including how we tackle the continuing threat of Islamist extremism, and those who are pulled towards its warped ideology. But, at the same time, we must not let this attack defeat us.
Nor forget who we really are. Because the real face of this country was not that of the vile monster who conducted this attack.
It was those who stood up to him and saved their fellow worshippers and the emergency services who sprinted towards danger to bring the attack to an end.
And the real face of this country wasn’t those who took to the streets and protested the very next day. But rather those who were horrified by the attack, stood with their Jewish neighbours, and chose the path of solidarity over division.
The antisemitic terrorist attack of October the 2nd was a horrifying act. In response to it, Mr Speaker, I hope the whole House can be united in a simple message:
To those who seek to divide us, by pitting one against another: They will fail.
No act of terror will ever defeat us. Mr Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.