Greater Manchester’s Jewish community is suffering an anti-semitic backlash in the wake of Israel’s military action in Gaza.

The worst reported incident was on Leicester Road, Higher Broughton, Salford.

Four or five cars of men drove through the district with Palestinian banners, throwing eggs and drink cans at passersby and shouting anti-semitic remarks including ‘Heil Hitler’.

In other incidents, men in cars are said to have abused Jewish pedestrians.

A spokesman for the Community Security Trust, a charity that helps protect Jewish people across Britain, said: “Most of the incidents reported to us in Manchester are of this type, i.e. verbal abuse shouted from a passing car at random Jewish people in the street.

"There is never any excuse for anti-semitism or racist abuse of any kind.

"The current increase in incidents is worrying and we ask anyone who suffers antisemitism, or who has any information about incidents that have taken place, to contact CST and the police.”

A spokesman for GMP said the Leicester Road event had been recorded as a ‘hate incident’ but the culprits had left the area when police arrived.

The CST said that since the start of the month about 100 incidents across the UK had been reported to them.

This is double what they would normally expect to see.

Protests continue outside city centre cosmetics shop

Crowds also gathered for a ninth day outside a cosmetics shop on King Street in Manchester city centre yesterday.

Free Palestine supporters are trying to encourage a boycott of Kedem Cosmetics which sells products imported from Israel.

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Members of the Jewish community and other supporters of Israel have been counterprotesting.

The shop owner, who asked not to be named, said: “Everyone out there can have their own agenda – this is a luxury cosmetic shop, we have no political agenda, we just want to sell soap and things.”

Detective Inspector Ian Field, Hate Crime Champion for the North Manchester Division said: "GMP's North Manchester Division has not seen a significant increase in hate crimes committed specifically against the Palestinian and Israeli communities in the city in the past few weeks.

"However, we are monitoring the protests on King Street and trying to balance people's right to protest with ensuring the safety of the wider communities that live and work in the city centre."

I'm scared for my mum... life is pretty horrific

A Manchester resident who was born in Gaza has told of his horror at seeing events unfold in his home region.

Mohammed Bahaa moved to the UK in 2004 but his mother still lives in Gaza.

The 34-year-old researcher supports the Free Palestine cause - and spoke to the M.E.N. about the conflict.

Mohammed, who researches the impact of war on environment, said: “Life has been pretty horrific in Gaza for the last three weeks with bombs going off everywhere.

“My mum has had to move because she said she doesn’t feel safe. The building next to where she lived was flattened.

“She’s a doctor and she rides in an ambulance all day helping the civilian casualties. When there has been conflict there in the past few years I was not as scared for her as I am now.

“I try to talk to her everyone day but she is a prolific Facebook user and she is always posting about bombs are going off everywhere.

“There are power cuts there and the mobile phone network is on its last legs so communication is poor.

“I don’t agree with bombings or using rockets at all. But it seems as though this most recent conflict, which started after the kidnapping of the three teenagers, is as though Israel is looking for a fight.”

He added: “It saddens me whenever I see anti-Semitism. Unfortunately there’s a lot of ignorance in the world and the difference between Israel and the wider Jewish people is lost on many unfortunately. Even if we oppose Israel it doesn’t mean I can go round attacking Israelis on the streets of Manchester.”

I have 90 seconds to get to the shelter... it's scary

A student from Manchester who now lives in Israel has spoken of the sadness felt by Israelis over civilian deaths in Gaza - and the necessity for Israel to take action against Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

Sophie Sacofsky, 23, moved to Israel from Manchester five years ago after studying at Manchester High School for Girls.

She is now studying computational biology at Bar Ilan University and lives in Givat Shmuel, 20 minutes from Tel Aviv.

The city, Israel’s second largest, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets fired by Hamas.

Sophie said: “For the past month, I’ve been on study leave for my exams. Every morning for the last two weeks there has been a siren in my area. I have 90 seconds to get to the shelter. We all run downstairs.

“On the ground floor there is a woman who has a two week old baby and who has to run with the baby to shelter.

“At least we have 90 seconds to reach the shelter. People farther south have only 15 seconds to get there.

“In this part of the country we have the Iron Dome, which intercepts the rockets fired from Gaza and explodes them in mid-air.

“The nearest rocket has landed 10 minutes away, but a lot of shrapnel from the Iron Dome fell into the next street to where we live.

“It is a serious threat and it is very scary. We sit waiting for a siren. You get very nervous. When it started, I was afraid to go into the shower in case the siren went off and and I slept in my clothes. My family in Manchester are very worried.”

Sophie added: “I think there is no-one here who says they are happy about the situation. Everyone I speak to is upset about the civilian casualties in Gaza.

“On the one hand, the war is a necessary evil. Hamas is a terrorist group and for a long time they have been sending rockets into Israel.

“Israel doesn’t want to attack. The people of Israel want to live in peace without rockets being fired at them. The Israel Defense Forces send out leaflets saying which area they are targeting, but Hamas is using their own people as human shields.

“Hamas has even admitted it. They are sending their people back to these areas.

“We are sorry for the civilian casualties. It’s sad when you hear that a mother or child has died.”