Manchester attack: Michael Gove on the rise of antisemitism

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s Coffee House Shots, Tim Shipman is joined by Michael Gove to reflect on the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, which left two people dead. They discuss how the Jewish community has long warned of rising anti-Semitism, often forced to fund its own security, and how inflammatory rhetoric on recent pro-Palestinian marches has deepened the sense of vulnerability.

Michael warns that Britain remains naive about Islamist ideology and risks only ever reacting to violence, rather than preventing it. While there are capable people in government and the security services, he says, real leadership is needed to confront the ideology that fuels attacks before more tragedies occur. Does the Prevent system need reform? And could tragedies such as this be avoided by a more restrictive border policy?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Megan McElroy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, Sweaterweather.
0:02.1	Bring on cozy duvet days, crisp air and crunchy leaves.
0:06.9	Out-out is out.
0:09.2	And the original pumpkin spice latte is in.
0:13.1	Handcrafted with our signature espresso and seasonal pumpkin flavors,
0:17.7	then topped with whipped cream, cinnamon and nutmeg.
0:21.2	Hot or iced?
0:22.8	PSL.
0:23.8	It's here.
0:25.2	Only at the Starbucks coffee company.
0:27.5	Subject to availability while stocks last.
0:33.6	Hello and welcome to coffee house shots.
0:40.3	I'm Tim Shipman, the spectator's political editor and today I'm joined by the editor, Michael Gove.
0:45.3	And we're going to talk about the appalling events at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, where two people are dead, others are in hospital.
0:53.3	Michael, what do you make of this? What does
0:55.6	this tell us about British society today, about the threat that the Jewish community is feeling,
1:00.8	about the realities of what appears to be an Islamist terrorist incident, and how the governing
1:07.1	class is responding to that? Well, the first thing is that one of the news is horrendous and shocking.
1:12.7	I do think it will come as a surprise to anyone in the Jewish community.
1:16.8	For months now, Jewish community organizations have been warning about the rising tide of
1:23.0	anti-Semitism, the increasingly physical nature of the way in which threats are manifesting themselves.
1:30.9	We've had feces dubbed on the synagogues in the past.
	...

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