​Editorial: The Manchester synagogue murders were an evil terror attack on British Jews on a sacred day

​​The two murders at a synagogue in Manchester as people gathered to celebrate Yom Kippur – the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar – is a horrific illustration of the hatred of that community among some extremists in the UK.

At the time of writing, two people had died and four others were in hospital after a terrorist attacked on Friday morning.

It could have been so much worse, were it not for the bravery of security staff and worshippers, who stopped the attacker from entering the synagogue.

Their courage was praised by the police – who themselves acted swiftly and shot the attacker dead within seven minutes of a 999 call from the Manchester synagogue.

The reaction from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was also swift – as he returned home to the UK from Denmark to chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to discuss the government’s response.

The Labour leader immediately pledged to “do everything to keep our Jewish community safe” – and announced extra security at synagogues across the country. That will be some comfort to the Jewish community, but security measures only address the symptoms of antisemitism in the UK.

Since Hamas slaughtered 1,195 people on October 7 2023, fanatical Islamists have become increasingly emboldened, abusing Jews in the street, and in their businesses, homes and schools. Many of them have hidden behind the Palestinian flag. However while they cite Israel’s response to the attempted genocide by Hamas, this disguises their hatred of Jews.

Whatever the exact motivation of the Manchester attacker, the government vow to stand up to extremism is not enough. It must stand up to extreme Islamism and call out antisemitism from wherever it comes. Such hatred has no place in a modern western society.