Even in grief Jewish people are being blamed - that should shame all of us

THE message from a section of our readers in the Facebook comments, following the deaths of two people at a synagogue in Crumpsall on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, was a simple one: Jews did this to themselves.

- By ROB WILLIAMS

Let's be clear from the outset. The majority of comments on our page were exactly what you'd hope for from Manchester: thoughtful, compassionate and humane.

Many were heartfelt in their condemnation of the atrocity. They recognised the fear and grief of the Jewish community and responded with solidarity and empathy. They saw the tragedy of a small community attacked on its most sacred day and responded with strength and kindness.

But too many others did not. They weren't interested in condolences. Instead, they posted conspiracy theories, denying the reality of what had happened or suggesting that it was somehow deserved.

Within hours of the attack, a number of commentaries began pushing a familiar lie: that the killings were a false flag operation, staged by Jews or orchestrated by Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency.

Some claimed the attack was retaliation for the UK recognising the state of Palestine. Others suggested it was part of a plan to justify new government surveillance powers. One even speculated that the name of the attacker had been generated by ChatGPT.

These claims are disgusting, antisemitic and utterly false.