A woman attending a pro-Palestine protest on the day of a dreadful knife attack outside a synagogue has stated she ‘doesn’t give a f*** about the Jewish community’.

Hundreds of activists assembled outside the gates of Downing Street in Westminster as part of a demonstration against the detention of members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which included Greta Thunberg.

The march, occurring just hours after a ‘barbaric’ knife attack outside the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, has been criticized for its poor timing and labeled as ‘disgraceful, disrespectful’.

A knifeman, identified as an Islamist terrorist by the Daily Mail, went on a ‘barbaric’ spree, killing two individuals and leaving four others seriously injured.

Fiona Smith, 42, was among those participating in the protest, during which she was heard saying: ‘I don’t give a f*** about the Jewish community right now.’

‘I thought about it and I’m sorry about what happened, but the whole story and why we’re here is because of what happened yesterday [with the flotilla],’ she added.

The timing of today’s action in central London has sparked fury from politicians and Antisemitism campaigners, including Conservative MP Susan Hall who described it as ‘disgraceful, disrespectful, despicable behaviour’.

Marches across the country were organised today after crew of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of around 40 boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, was intercepted by Israeli forces in the early hours of Thursday morning.

As the Jewish community went into mourning, protesters also marched through Manchester surrounded by police, waving Palestine flags and holding placards reading ‘Freedom for Palestine’ and ‘Stop starving Gaza’.

Hundreds of activists assembled outside Manchester Piccadilly Station before marching noisily towards Piccadilly Gardens, waving Palestinian flags, banging drums and chanting. 

One banner carried by protesters also read: ‘Israel is guilty of genocide, massacre, ethnic cleansing of Palestinian children and babies.’

The timing of the protest, which also took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, sparked fury online, with people urging the protest to be stopped following the attack.

One person posted on X: ‘How disgusting to allow this to go ahead today. Imagine how every Jewish person living in Manchester feels, absolutely abhorrent!’

Another added: ‘@AndyBurnhamGM what a load of rubbish you just said on the news. You are letting these demons protest in Manchester on this day of all days. Shame on you and your empty words.’

Organisers at the protest insisted they ‘condemned in the strongest possible terms’ the assault in Heaton Park and called for a minute’s silence in respect for the victims.

At the protest in Manchester, there were a number of scuffles between police and critics of the protest, including near the statue of Queen Victoria in Piccadilly Gardens.

One woman, who lost her hat in a scuffle, said: ‘I’m just so upset this has been held today. I’m all for free speech on any other day, but it’s not right to be doing this today.’

Also among the critics was Nick Voss, 49, who said: ‘After what’s happened today, this should have been cancelled out of respect.

‘I know that they are on an opposing side, but I think it should have been cancelled.

‘We all have a right to protest, but these guys aren’t respectful. As far as I’m concerned, they’re terror supporters and far-left communists and they disgust me to my absolute core.’

He added: ‘It was upsetting to see what happened in Heaton Park, I know a couple of people who were nearby when it happened and they’re shocked.

‘I’ve come today to stand against this protest and I’ll do it every single week.’

Activists, including Steph Bike, 58, of the Stop the War Coalition, said the minute’s silence proved their respect.

She said: ‘We felt it was important to condemn what happened this morning, because it’s an attack on one of our communities.

‘We reject anti-Semitism in all its forms. It is too early to comment, but it’s likely that the attack was motivated by anti-Semitism and we oppose all attacks on any of our communities.’

She added: ‘We are not protesting against Jewish communities here, it’s the Israeli state we are protesting. That is an important distinction.’

Steph described the heavy police presence as ‘disproportionate’. She said: ‘Over the last three years, Palestine protests have been over-policed as a tactic to instil the sense that we are somehow dangerous.’

Ron, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran, also joined the rally. When asked whether it was appropriate to demonstrate on the day of the synagogue attack, he replied: ‘We’re upset by all forms of racism.

‘We are not against Jews, we are against Zionists. There are Jewish people who come to our demonstrations.’

At around 9.30am today, a man with a suspected suicide belt killed at least two people outside a Manchester synagogue before being shot by police.

A car was driven into a crowd and a man was stabbed outside the building where people inside were celebrating Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said four other victims are in a serious condition after the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall.

The suspect, who was initially feared to be wearing an explosive vest, was shot dead within seven minutes of the initial call to the emergency services, chief constable Watson said. 

The force confirmed tonight the vest the terror suspect was wearing was ‘not viable’.

Two people were later arrested by armed police just streets away from where the onslaught took place.

Among those seriously hurt is believed to be a security guard who put himself in harms way to help stop the ‘marauding’ terrorist from entering the synagogue.

Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said the bravery of security staff and worshippers had stopped the knifeman from entering the building

Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave a statement from Downing Street where he hailed emergency services and security saying they had ‘no doubt whatsoever prevented an even greater tragedy’.

Benjamin Netanyahu called the deadly rampage a ‘barbaric attack’ and said Israel was grieving with the Jewish community in Britain.

‘Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded,’ the Israeli Prime Minister said.

‘As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.’