HomeNews UpdateBritish Jewish politician harassed for stance on Israel-Hamas war
British Jewish politician harassed for stance on Israel-Hamas war
July 2, 2024
Rabbi Arnold Saunders, a candidate for Britain’s Conservative Party, was invited to speak at Manchester’s Bilal Mosque last month, where worshippers mobbed him over his stance on the war between Israel and Hamas, footage of the event shows.
“Do not come to the House of Allah and do not try to contact us when we know that in your own place you say it is good that they kill the children,” one believer told Rabbi Saunders in reference to the civilians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza has claimed that nearly 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far, but the ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Saunders has been repeatedly asked to condemn Israeli forces and whether he voted for a ceasefire – even though he is not currently an elected official with a vote on such an issue.
“We don’t want to get involved with you people, we don’t want to get involved with you who justify child murderers,” the believer said in comments that the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism described as “blood libel.”
‘You are a snake’ SEE how Rabbi Arnie Saunders was treated threateningly when he was invited to the Bilal Mosque in Prestwich, Manchester, by the mosque’s elders in his role as Conservative candidate for Bury South. That he was abused, intimidated and his … pic.twitter.com/X4PZTsteLq
— NW Friends of Israel (@NorthWestFOI) June 30, 2024
STREET SCENE IN MANCHESTER: A notoriously rainy region. (Source: Jakob Cotton/Unsplash)
According to the footage, the worshipper made no mention of the hostages held in Gaza or the more than 1,200 people killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
Jewish community condemns the incident
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester said in a statement: “Rabbi Saunders is a highly respected figure in the community and we strongly condemn his treatment in this video. It is undoubtedly anti-Semitic and we expect action to be taken.”
“The incident occurred following an invitation from the mosque to meet with its congregants. As an organisation, we were delighted to invite and welcome members of the mosque to our election rallies. The fact that he was attacked highlights how individuals are taking the tragic conflict in Israel and Gaza to the streets of the UK.
“This is reflected in politicians campaigning during the election campaign being targeted and abused and not being able to move freely in the constituencies they claim to represent. When politicians are unable to speak publicly about their views, when their meetings are disrupted and their offices attacked, this poses a real threat to our democracy. We hope that there will be no more scenes like this between now and election day.”
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies said: “We are disgusted by the abusive treatment of Rabbi Arnold Saunders, a candidate in Bury South. Rabbi Saunders had been invited by the elders of a local mosque; the video shows that some of those present objected to this and the footage clearly shows that the rabbi was attacked in this way because of his religion. We urge all who care about the health of our democracy to denounce this bigotry.”
Labour candidate in Bury South Christian Wakeford also condemned the incident, saying: “Both Bilal Mosque and Rabbi Saunders have been committed to progressive interfaith work for many years, which is in stark contrast to the behaviour of this individual, which is totally unacceptable.”
“Without dialogue we cannot move forward in the world and that is not representative of Bury South.”
Wakeford added: “Despite political differences, Rabbi Saunders and I have always had an excellent relationship and I hope he is doing well after this incident.”
Despite political differences, Rabbi Saunders and I have always had an excellent relationship and I hope he is doing well after this incident. 2/2
— Christian Wakeford (@Christian4BuryS) July 1, 2024
