Israel’s warnings vindicated as Western societies confront consequences of tolerated extremism and antisemitic incitement.
Greater Manchester Police have revealed a disturbing new reality: Jewish children are calling police themselves to request armed protection for Hanukkah celebrations, driven by escalating antisemitic threats and fear following recent attacks on Jewish communities.
Speaking at a Policy Exchange event in London, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson described how heightened security has long been part of Jewish life in Britain, with schools guarded by fences and security personnel. Since the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, however, both the threat level and the perception of danger have intensified dramatically.
“October 7 lifted the heat,” Watson said, stressing that fear is no longer abstract. According to him, the situation has deteriorated to the point where ten-year-old Jewish girls are requesting armed police to attend religious celebrations—an indictment of societal failure to protect its Jewish citizens.
Watson also condemned reports that individuals in Manchester celebrated the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre, calling such behavior “sickeningly distasteful.” Greater Manchester Police are actively investigating those incidents in a region that hosts the largest Jewish community in the UK outside London.
In response, both Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police have announced stricter enforcement against protest chants and placards that incite violence, including the slogan “globalize the intifada.” Watson made clear that the tolerance era is over: chanting such slogans will now lead to arrest.
The episode underscores a harsh truth long emphasized by Israel: when antisemitism and extremist rhetoric are excused as political expression, Jewish lives pay the price. Protecting Jewish children should never require armed pleas—but today’s reality demands decisive action.
