Rally marking two-years since October 7 attacks

Hundreds of people joined

Hundreds of people have joined a rally in Manchester marking the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.

North West Friends of Israel decided to go ahead with the pre-planned event amid safety concerns in the wake of the terror attack on a synagogue in the city on Thursday, with crowds gathered outside Manchester Cathedral on Sunday morning.

People waved Israel flags and some held banners calling for the release of the hostages, including Alon Ohel, a 24-year-old musician.

Police and security guards from the Community Security Trust charity monitored the event, which also commemorated 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, 66, who died at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.

Three men are still in hospital after the car and knife attack.

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was on bail for an alleged rape, was shot dead by police on Thursday as he targeted the place of worship on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

It is believed Mr Daulby was shot dead by police while trying to stop Al-Shamie from entering the synagogue during the attack.

Mr Cravitz, from Crumpsall, died helping prevent the attacker from entering the premises.

A banner on the stage at the Manchester rally read: “Jews standing proud in the face of terrorism.

“Adrian’s and Melvin’s bravery will never be forgotten.

“We are not Jews with trembling knees.”

The rally came ahead of a similar event organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BDBJ) in London’s Trafalgar Square later on Sunday, after almost 500 people were arrested over pro-Palestine protests in the same place on Saturday.

The BDBJ called for those arrested under the Terrorism Act at Saturday’s protests to be investigated for stirring up racial hatred.

In a statement on X, the BDBJ said: “The crass insensitivity shown by the protesters, more than 400 of whom were arrested for supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation, is an affront to public decency.”

Organisers Defend Our Juries said more than 1,000 people had gathered at the central London landmark to hold a mass, silent vigil protesting against the proscription while the names of Palestinian children killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict are read out.

The BDBJ’s rally happens ahead of Tuesday’s anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Speakers include Sharone Lifschitz, a British-Israeli academic and film-maker and daughter of two former hostages, and Adam Ma’anit, a British-Israeli writer and campaigner whose cousin was taken hostage on October 7.

Shaun Lemel, a survivor of the attack on the Nova music festival, is also scheduled to speak while British-Israeli former hostage Emily Damari will address the event via video.

The BDBJ said security checks would be in place and there would be an enhanced police presence at the event following the Manchester synagogue terror attack.

Police forces have deployed extra officers to synagogues and other Jewish buildings to offer protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the attack.

Published: 05/10/2025 by Radio NewsHub