Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, responding Friday to the Yom Kippur terror attack outside a Manchester synagogue and the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that erupted within hours, warned Britain is facing “societal breakdown,” declaring: “I feel more worried about the state of broken Britain than I ever have before.”
In a video message posted on social media, Farage set the tone with condolences and alarm in the wake of Thursday’s attack outside Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, where worshippers Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed. He said the “scenes of Jewish people being butchered on the streets of Manchester yesterday” had “shocked many of us deeply, deeply to the core,” and he extended “our absolutely most sincere condolences” on behalf of himself and Reform UK.
Farage said the attack left Britain’s Jewish community “deeply fearful,” warning the problem ran “worse… bigger… deeper.” He argued that what unfolded on the streets compounded the horror: “Within just a few hours of this horrific incident, we saw in London, Glasgow, and elsewhere pro Palestinian flags on the streets, people out, previously unplanned demonstrating.” His point, he insisted, was that it was not protest but revelry: “But here’s the truth of it. They weren’t demonstrating. They were actually celebrating.” The Reform leader described the scenes as unprecedented in modern Britain: “I can’t even imagine we’ve ever seen such vile scenes on our streets. Certainly not in my lifetime.”
He said the official response failed to meet the moment. Farage blasted Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for being merely “disappointed” by the protests, calling such language inadequate: “In response to this, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says she’s disappointed. Disappointed. That’s the most the home secretary can say.” He added a direct appeal to the country: “Well, I hope all of you watching this video are outraged. Outraged and frankly frightened.” Farage said the episode showed the extent of Britain’s decline, calling it “broken Britain” and “evidence of societal breakdown.”
Farage said Prime Minister Keir Starmer had “emboldened” these people by recognizing a Palestinian state two weeks ago, and he reminded the British public, “And never forget, this is the prime minister that took the knee just a few short years ago to an extremist group.”
He warned the danger would escalate on Saturday with a major demonstration expected in the capital: “Now, there is a big, big march planned in London this Saturday, and I think the only way we can describe it is a hate march.” Whether ministers and police would act, he said, was uncertain: “Whether the Home Secretary and the police decide they’ve got the powers to stop it, I don’t know.” But he drew a bright line around incitement: “What is for certain is we’re a country that allows peaceful protest, but we’re not a country that allows the celebration of murder or slogans in our street that are deeply, deeply inciteful.” Reports indicate one of the largest pro-Palestinian gatherings yet is expected at Trafalgar Square in support of Palestine Action — a group described in July as a terrorist organization — with more than 1,500 people pledging to descend on central London despite the risk of arrest; less than a week earlier, 66 people were detained at a rally backing the group outside Labour’s conference in Liverpool.
Communal leaders echoed the alarm. Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the killings came after “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere,” adding, “This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.”
The attack struck Thursday morning on Yom Kippur as worshippers gathered at the synagogue. Police say the suspect, Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian origin, rammed a vehicle into pedestrians before launching a stabbing spree; armed officers shot him dead at the synagogue doors. Three victims remain hospitalized in serious condition, and investigators later indicated one of the fatalities may have been struck by police gunfire as officers confronted the suspect, a finding now under review.
The Guardian reported al-Shamie was on bail for an alleged rape at the time of the attack. The paper also quoted his father, Faraj al-Shamie, condemning the Manchester killings as “heinous,” while past social-media posts attributed to him praised the October 7 Hamas massacre as a “miracle.”
Police have declared the case a terrorist incident and increased patrols around synagogues and Jewish schools nationwide. In London, the Metropolitan Police said 40 arrests were made during Thursday night’s pro-Palestinian protests, including for assaults on officers. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was heckled at a vigil for the victims on Friday with cries of “shame on you.”
“Saying this now to you today,” Farage concluded, “I feel more worried about the state of broken Britain than I ever have before.”
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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