Terror survivors and victims' powerful message after Manchester synagogue attack

Terror survivors and victims’ loved ones today issue a powerful message of unity in the wake of this week’s horrific synagogue attack.

Two died when knifeman Jihad al-Sharmie targeted Jewish worshippers on the holy day of Yom Kippur in Manchester. Now members of Survivors Against Terror [SAT] have penned a thought-provoking open letter calling for support for grief-stricken families.

“Terrorists seek to divide our communities,” they warn, adding: “They want us to spread their hatred, to live in fear, and to undermine our collective way of life. Their worst nightmare is that instead of dividing us these attacks pull us closer together.”

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The letter has been signed by dozens including the charity’s co-founder, Brendan Cox, whose Labour MP wife Jo was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016. Signatures also include Jo Berry and Sasha Smith-Bingham, daughters of the late Tory MP Sir Anthony Berry, killed by the IRA’s Brighton bombing in 1984. Others who have put their name to it are Paul Price, whose partner Elaine McIver was killed in the Manchester Arena Attack in 2017, and Bethany Haines, daughter of aid worker, David Haines, killed by IS in Syria.

It comes as players at Old Trafford observed a minute’s silence before Manchester United ’s match against Sunderland on Saturday. Counter-terror police have been granted warrants giving extra time to question four arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, with another two also in custody. Three men remain in hospital after the car and knife attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Thursday.

Al-Shamie, 35, who was on bail for an alleged rape, was shot dead by police as he targeted the place of worship. Adrian Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot dead by police while attempting to stop the attacker entering the synagogue. He was killed with Melvin Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, a worshipper who helped prevent Al-Shamie getting in.

SAT’s letter says: “The vile attack on Jewish worshipers fills us with horror. As people who have been injured, witnessed or bereaved by terror attacks in the past - we know first-hand the immense pain that families will be going through. Our first thoughts as a country must be how we can support those families and their loved ones. We urge the government to immediately activate their support mechanisms and ensure they get all the care they need both now and in the future. We also know from experience that how we respond as a country matters. Terrorists seek to divide our communities.

“They want us to spread their hatred, to live in fear, and to undermine our collective way of life. Their worst nightmare is that instead of dividing us these attacks pull us closer together. That’s particularly important because of the nature of this attack. It wasn’t just an attack on individuals; it was an attack designed to spread fear across the Jewish community. Our response must be to reach out to that community and tell them that they are us - and we are them. We will not be divided from each other by those spreading hatred. We cannot undo what has happened - but we can choose how we respond as a country.”

Brendan Cox told the Mirror: “The reason I think this letter is so powerful is because so many people... are saying with one voice that the best response to it – if you want to help – is to pull together, not to pull apart. And I think that’s a message that will resonate with the public as well.”

Katie Amess, daughter of the late Tory MP Sir David Amess who died after being stabbed 21 times at his constituency surgery in 2021, said: “The vile attack on innocent Jewish worshipers at the Synagogue in Manchester fills me with horror. Having lost my father, Sir David Amess MP, to terrorism, I know the lifelong pain that today’s families and the wider Jewish community will endure. My heart breaks for them, and I stand in absolute solidarity with all those who are grieving and are now afraid.”

Michelle Jones, whose 23-year-old daughter Saskia Jones was murdered in the Fishmongers’ Hall terror attack in 2019, said she was “horrified” and “very upset”. The 60-year-old, from Stratford-upon-Avon, told the Mirror: “The strategy of the terrorist… is obviously to divide communities, often with the aim of provoking a reactionary response. And it’s therefore vital, I think, that people are aware that they need to pull together and are unified in defiance of their aims to divide us.”

And Claudia Vince, 30, who also at the attack in which her friend Jack Merritt, 25, was killed, said: “It’s a club that none of us expected to be a part of and I think we have quite a powerful collective voice to almost come out in opposition to some of the discourse that happens after attacks.” She added: “... the most powerful thing we can do is… come together and try and kind of provide a bit of a unified voice of support for the individuals but also the communities that are impacted.”

Cath Hill, 50, who survived the Manchester Arena attack which left 22 people dead in 2017, said: “I think Manchester is a very socially cohesive city. It’s a city that I adore and it’s just so sad that this happens in our wonderful city where people do actually live together from lots of different communities and are there to support each other. I hate that this has happened again… but I do know that we do rally together as a community, we ensure that hate won’t win. We do not want the terrorists to prosper in this, we need to come together as a community. This is an attack against us all and it’s so important that we’re there to support and care for those affected and not let the terrorists win by trying to divide us. That must not happen.”