London: Pro-Palestinian protests were held across the UK on Saturday, just two days after a deadly car-ramming and knife attack on a synagogue in Manchester that left two people dead and three others seriously injured.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer had urged organisers to reconsider holding demonstrations so soon after the attack, but rallies went ahead in several cities, including London and Manchester.

The assault took place on Thursday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in north Manchester during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The attacker, identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie — a British citizen of Syrian descent — was shot dead by police minutes after the alarm was raised.

Six suspects — three men and three women — have been arrested on terrorism-related charges and remain in custody.

Greater Manchester Police said they had increased patrols at places of worship across the city, "with a particular focus on providing a high-visibility presence within our Jewish communities".

The synagogue attack has been described as one of the worst antisemitic incidents in Europe since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures compiled by AFP.

Israel’s subsequent offensive on Gaza has, according to local health ministry figures considered reliable by the UN, resulted in the deaths of at least 66,288 Palestinians, also mostly civilians.

The war has sharply polarised opinion in the UK, with frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations in major cities. Some critics have claimed that these rallies have fuelled a rise in antisemitism, an allegation protest organisers strongly reject.

On Saturday, around 1,000 demonstrators gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square in support of the banned Palestine Action group. The event was organised by Defend Our Juries, which issued a statement saying the group "stood in solidarity with the Jewish community over the attack", and added: "Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win."

In Manchester, a smaller rally organised by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine drew around 100 people.

Police have not linked the synagogue attack directly to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but the timing has heightened concerns of sectarian violence and further polarisation within UK communities.