Manchester building housing Jewish businesses defaced with “Happy Nakba Day” graffiti and red paint. The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester condemns the antisemitic act.
A building in Prestwich, Manchester, housing Jewish-owned businesses was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on Thursday morning, the UK-based Jewish News reported.
Rico House was targeted with white graffiti scrawled on an external wall, reading “Happy Nakba Day.” Additionally, several windows were sprayed with bright red paint.
“Nakba Day” is commemorated by Palestinian Arabs on May 15. “Nakba” is utilized by Palestinian Arabs to describe what they view as the “catastrophe” or “disaster” associated with the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
A spokesperson for the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester condemned the vandalism, stating to Jewish News, “We have been informed that overnight there has been an attack on a Jewish owned building housing businesses in the heart of our community. Those responsible for such appalling vandalism are seeking to intimidate the Jewish community.”
The spokesperson added, “We will not tolerate our community being targeted by antisemitic vandals who are using the Middle East conflict as a cover to attack Jewish people across the country.”
Community Security Trust (CST), a charitable organization that protects British Jews from antisemitism, expressed its outrage on social media, declaring it was “appalled” by the attack.
CST confirmed it is “working closely with police and the location, doing our utmost to help identify the antisemitic vandals and to give security support.”
The vandalism comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitism in Britain since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In February, CST published a report which found that Britain experienced its second-worst year for antisemitism in 2024, with over 3,500 incidents reported.
