Specialist plain clothes cops drafted in to protect Jewish communities in north Manchester as Chief Constable makes vow
EXCLUSIVE: Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has vowed to tackle antisemitism and crack down on hate chants
Specialist plain clothes detectives have been drafted in as part of an increased police operation to protect Jewish communities in north Manchester.
Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Stephen Watson revealed the measure during an interview with the Manchester Evening News in which he repeated that his officers would likely arrest anyone chanting 'globalise the intifada' or ' from the river to the sea' at pro-Palestine marches.
Higher Broughton, Cheetham Hill and Prestwich are already subject to an increased police presence, including armed cops. Last year Adrian Daulby and and and Melvin Cravitz were killed during a terror attack at Heaton Park synagogue. Three men were jailed in February over a plot to kill as many Jews as possible in a planned attack on Jewish areas of Manchester in the summer of 2024.
Sir Stephen told the Manchester Evening News: "We recognise the ongoing concern of our Jewish communities. This is not a new phenomenon. This is something that's been amplified all the way back to the October 7 attacks in the Middle East and then of course bringing it up to the October 2 attacks at Heaton Park (synagogue).
"In the middle of that we had... three Islamist terrorists convicted who were hell bent on committing awful atrocities in the same communities. We reflect and we recognise the heightened concern of our Jewish communities. We have, frankly, been on a heightened state of preparedness and readiness to support our Jewish communities for a long time and we have simply amplified that stance."
Sir Stephen declined to reveal exact details, but said 'specialist armed assets' were positioned so they would be deployed to arrive at any incident 'within minutes' in north Manchester while extra uniformed patrols had been brought in from other divisions.
He also revealed that plain clothes officers who were specialists in spotting concerning behaviours were also routinely patrolling Jewish areas, including near synagogues and shops.
He added: "It's very sad it's come to this. Our Jewish communities have learned to tolerate what is intolerable. They have come to put up with things nobody else in our country is having to put up with and it's for that reason we recognise and respect as with all civilised societies to stand up and support our Jewish neighbours because it is intolerable. People are legitimately frightened. It cannot be the case that this continues.
"We are very much geared up to prevent anything happening to our Jewish communities."
Sir Stephen repeated his stance that anyone chanting slogans such as 'from the river to the sea' and 'globalise the intifada' on pro-Palestine protests face arrest. They are considered by Jewish people calls to annihilate or inflict violence on them.
He said the chanting of the 'from the river to the sea' slogan in some circumstances 'was a little more obtuse than others' but if it happened outside a synagogue those singing it would be arrested. He said people chanting 'globalise the intifada' was a simpler case and as with people singing in support of proscribed organisations such as Hamas and Palestine Action. They will be arrested 'as night follows day', he said.
Sir Stephen added: "The cumulative effect of this is that it undermines people's feeling of safety and security. Words have consequences. In circumstances where we have people advocating for proscribed terror organisations or who are inciting racial hatred, then there is a zero-tolerance approach.
"It's perfectly possible to protest lawfully and legitimately without inciting racial hatred or frightening communities who have every right to go about their daily business free from being put upon. That's absolutely not on and we do not put up with that."