A journalist has recalled what happened when he asked a group of pro-Palestine protesters one question. Matthew Syed wrote in the Times that he approached a group of three women, maybe aged in their fifties, who had brown skin and British accents, during a demonstration on Saturday. He asked if they minded talking to him, and they allowed the write to ask a question. Syed asked: “Who do you blame for what is unfolding in Gaza? Do you think Hamas bears any responsibility?”
The women’s “friendly faces” turned into something else, he observed. One told him: “Go away. You are a bad faith actor. We don’t want to talk to you. Just f*** off. It’s a really boring old line. You are disgusting.” Syed replied: “I am disgusting?” He was then told: “Yes, you are disgusting. You are not a journalist. It’s very clear what your position is here.” Their voices turning louder, Syed was then told to “p*** off.”
Syed wrote in his piece that he retreated, thanking the protesters for their time.
But they did not desist.
One asked: “What are you doing here anyway? You are prejudiced.
“Hopefully nobody will ever buy a book you write. You are a charlatan. You are a f***ing racist.”
Yesterday, almost 500 people were arrested over pro-Palestine protests in London, which took place in defiance of calls by politicians and police bosses to reconsider after the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
The Metropolitan Police arrested protesters for offences including supporting the banned terror group Palestine Action.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, urged protesters to “respect the grief of British Jews”, while Jewish figures have called the action “phenomenally tone deaf” following Thursday’s killing of two people in the terror attack.
Residents in the Middleton Road area of Crumpsall, where two Jewish people were killed during a terror attack on a synagogue on Thursday, are being allowed to return to their homes following the terror attack at the synagogue, Greater Manchester Police said today.
In a post on X, the force said: “Residents around the Middleton Road area in Crumpsall are now being allowed to return to their homes following Thursday’s terrorist attack.
“We thank the local community for their patience, understanding and resilience while officers have been working in the area.”
A reduced cordon remains in place while inquiries continue.