“Shame on You”: Jewish Anger Erupts at UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy After Manchester Synagogue Attack

By: Fern Sidman

When UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy appeared before a community gathering on Friday, he expected to confront tough questions about the government’s response to the shocking terrorist assault at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Instead, he found himself the target of visceral outrage from Jewish attendees, who accused his government of enabling a climate of antisemitism that culminated in the Yom Kippur attack.

According to a report that appeared on Friday at VIN News, the event quickly turned tense as members of the audience shouted “Shame on you!” at the Deputy Prime Minister. Some demanded he “go to Palestine but leave us alone,” while others interrupted him with accusations that his government had failed to safeguard Britain’s Jews.

The confrontation, set against the backdrop of rising antisemitism across the United Kingdom, revealed the raw emotions of a Jewish community shaken to its core. For many, the Manchester tragedy confirmed their worst fears: that their safety in Britain is no longer guaranteed.

The anger directed at Lammy cannot be understood apart from the horror that unfolded just days earlier. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, a terrorist rammed worshippers outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester before stabbing congregants. Two Jews were murdered and four others seriously injured before police shot the assailant dead. Initially suspected to be wearing an explosive vest, the attacker triggered hours of terror as hundreds of worshippers were barricaded inside the synagogue until authorities confirmed the premises were secure.

As VIN News reported, the assault was described by one Israeli diplomat as “the most shocking Yom Kippur attack in Britain’s modern history.” Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt of the Conference of European Rabbis said bluntly: “Jews in Manchester woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue.”

That grief and shock quickly transformed into anger. When Lammy took the stage days later, Jewish attendees confronted him with accusations that his government’s handling of antisemitism had left their community exposed.

The most searing moment came when a Jewish parent rose from the audience and shouted: “My children’s school was closed today—you allowed this to happen.” The accusation, met with applause from fellow attendees, reflected a widely held perception among British Jews that the government’s reassurances have failed to translate into tangible safety.

The parent went further, charging Lammy with enabling “Jew hatred.” According to the information provided in the VIN News report, this phrase drew a wave of approval from others in the crowd, calling attention to how deeply alienated many British Jews feel.

It was a striking inversion of Britain’s political landscape: instead of pro-Palestinian demonstrators jeering a minister, it was members of the Jewish community themselves — once core supporters of Labour — who publicly shamed one of the party’s most senior leaders.

The hostility toward Lammy reached such a pitch that event speaker Adlestone intervened to calm the room. “We know how you feel. I know how I feel—let’s give the time for our Deputy Prime Minister to address us,” he pleaded, according to the VIN News report.

Adlestone’s intervention momentarily quelled the jeers, but it also revealed the fragile state of dialogue between Britain’s Jewish community and its political leadership. In the face of such profound trauma, anger overwhelmed patience.

Lammy, elevated to Deputy Prime Minister under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has long prided himself on being a unifying figure. He has spoken in defense of Israel’s right to exist while also emphasizing humanitarian responsibilities toward Palestinians. But as the VIN News report observed, “Lammy’s attempt to walk a middle line has left him exposed to criticism from both sides, and Friday’s confrontation revealed just how little trust remains between Britain’s Jews and the government.”

For Jewish attendees, the Manchester attack was not an abstract tragedy; it was confirmation that antisemitic violence has crossed a dangerous new threshold. In their eyes, Lammy’s government has failed to act decisively, leaving them vulnerable.

To understand the intensity of the confrontation, one must recall Labour’s recent history. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, the party was engulfed in an antisemitism crisis so severe that Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission formally investigated Labour for discrimination.

Starmer has worked hard to distance Labour from that toxic legacy, purging hardline members and rebuilding relationships with Jewish organizations. Yet, as the VIN News report pointed out, “the Manchester synagogue attack has reignited doubts about whether Labour’s promises of change have translated into real protection for Jewish life.”

For many Jewish voters, the memory of Corbyn-era hostility is still raw. The image of Jews heckling a Labour Deputy Prime Minister — accusing him of enabling “Jew hatred” — illustrated how fragile that reconciliation remains.

The reference to school closures during Friday’s confrontation was not incidental. Across Britain, schools have become battlegrounds in the Israel–Palestine conflict. Jewish children have reported bullying, harassment, and pressure to conceal their identities. In some cases, parents have withdrawn their children from classes during major pro-Palestinian demonstrations for fear of violence.

VIN News documented multiple cases in which Jewish pupils were told not to wear uniforms or display religious symbols in public. For many Jewish families, the Manchester attack confirmed that even the most sacred and secure spaces — synagogues, schools — are now vulnerable.

In the aftermath of the attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to bolster police protection at synagogues nationwide. King Charles III and Queen Camilla issued a statement saying they were “deeply shocked and saddened.” Yet the response has not quelled Jewish anger.

As VIN News reported, Jewish leaders insist that “statements of sympathy are no longer enough.” They demand concrete measures: expanded funding for security at Jewish schools and synagogues, stronger prosecution of antisemitic hate crimes, and unambiguous condemnation of Hamas supporters in Britain’s streets.

The anger directed at Lammy is part of a wider crisis of confidence among British Jews. Since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel, antisemitic incidents in Britain have surged to levels not seen in decades. From the vandalism of Jewish businesses to open calls for intifada at demonstrations, the line between anti-Israel activism and antisemitism has blurred.

The VIN News report noted that posters of Israeli hostages have been ripped down across London neighborhoods, Jewish schools have been targeted, and police forces stretched thin. “For Britain’s Jewish community, the Manchester attack was not just another incident — it was a culmination of months of escalating hate,” the outlet observed.

Politically, Friday’s confrontation carries weighty implications. For Starmer’s Labour government, the incident threatens to erode fragile trust among Jewish voters just as the party has sought to repair its image.

Andrew Cuomo, Mamdani’s independent rival for the New York mayoralty, recently accused progressives of creating a climate hostile to Jews. By contrast, Britain’s Labour government now faces its own reckoning. As the VIN News report framed it: “The scenes on Friday revealed that Jewish patience has limits, and symbolic gestures no longer suffice.”

If Jewish voters conclude that Labour cannot guarantee their safety, the political consequences could be profound — both in terms of electoral support and in Britain’s international standing as a reliable ally of Israel.

Friday’s angry confrontation between Jewish citizens and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was more than a heated exchange. It was a moment of reckoning, a sign that Britain’s Jewish community feels abandoned at a time of existential threat.

The Manchester synagogue attack, taking place on Yom Kippur itself, exposed the vulnerability of British Jews in their most sacred spaces. The anger unleashed at Lammy reflected not just grief, but a profound sense of betrayal.

As the VIN News report observed, “Friday’s scenes were a sobering reminder that antisemitism in Britain is no longer a matter of historical memory or fringe extremism. It is a present danger, and Jewish citizens are demanding action.”

Whether Britain’s leaders can respond with the strength, clarity, and urgency required remains to be seen. But what is clear is that the Jewish community’s patience has been exhausted — and their anger will reverberate far beyond a single disrupted speech.