Antisemitic attacks surge in Manchester, UK boosts security for Jewish communities

Manchester’s Jewish community is confronting a fresh wave of antisemitic violence following a series of attacks that have heightened security concerns among local residents.

Three Jewish individuals were recently injured in a drive-by shooting in the city. Days later, multiple vehicles belonging to members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community were vandalized in what community leaders described as another troubling incident targeting local Jews.

Greater Manchester is home to approximately 30,000 Jews, making it the second-largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom after London.

Manchester Shomrim, the volunteer Jewish neighborhood security organization that helps protect the city’s Orthodox Jewish population, said it is working closely with local law enforcement to identify those responsible. The group has been gathering surveillance footage and information from residents to assist the investigation. According to reports, police later arrested two suspects who face charges of religiously aggravated common assault. Authorities have indicated, however, that the investigation remains ongoing.

“Threats to our communities will not be tolerated, and we’re continuing to enhance our security in Jewish communities across Greater Manchester to help keep them safe on our streets,” the police said in an official statement.

The number of antisemitic attacks in the United Kingdom has soared since the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel in 2023. A record 3700 antisemitic attacks were recorded in 2025 according to the Community Security Trust, an organization that is tasked with monitoring and protecting Jewish communities. This was reportedly the highest number of anti-Jewish attacks ever recorded in the UK.

In March, London police arrested two suspects after an antisemitic arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green, a neighborhood with a sizeable Jewish population. Last October, an Islamist terrorist of Syrian origin murdered two Jews at a synagogue in Manchester during the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur.

The British government announced earlier this month that it would allocate $335 million to boost security for Jewish communities and institutions amid the rising number of antisemitic attacks across the country.

“After a series of appalling attacks against Jewish communities, the difficult decision was made to raise the threat level to severe. My thoughts remain with the victims of these vile attacks. Today we are going further and providing record funding to help keep Jewish people safe, supporting visible policing and protection around synagogues, schools and community centres. We will do everything in our power to rid society of the evil of antisemitism,” British Minister of State for Policing and Crime Sarah Jones pledged.

The new funding package includes an additional 500 police officers to patrol Jewish neighborhoods. The majority of police officers will be dispatched in the London area where most British Jews reside. However, the security package also includes an additional 80 police officers to cover the Manchester area.

In May, investigative journalist David Collier told Christian journalist Paul Calvert that the rapid spread of false and inflammatory content about Jews and Israel on social media is a major factor behind the sharp increase in antisemitic attacks across the United Kingdom.