As thousands of worshippers gathered for Ramadan prayers, a terrorist entered Manchester Central Mosque with an axe, a hammer, knives, and a balaclava, clearly intending to cause great harm.
Had heroic volunteers not acted quickly and restrained the attacker, the results would have been grave.
Shockingly, the Greater Manchester Police didn’t declare the attack terror-related, which Mosque members have expressed confusion and dismay about. “I think the fact we’re even having a conversation about whether it’s a terror attack or not is ridiculous,” one worshipper said, adding that it feels like a “betrayal”.
The timing of this attack is no coincidence. It came four days after Britain First’s unsuccessful fascist rally in Manchester, where thugs chanted Islamophobic slogans, and harassed and abused Asian members of the public.
And in the very same week, a Worcester Muslim centre was the target of an alleged arson attack, which the police have also dismissed as ‘not racially-motivated’.
These kinds of attacks are the inevitable consequence of the Islamophobic and anti-migrant disinformation and culture-war atmosphere, produced not just by fringe groups like Britain First, but by the entire establishment – Starmer’s Labour, the Tories, Reform, and the media. The system depends on racist reaction and division.
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Establishment hypocrisy
The muted, meagre response to this attempted terror attack in Manchester is highly hypocritical.
This attack comes months after an attack on a synagogue in North Manchester, where a man was stabbed. Despite one victim being killed by a police officer, the media inordinately highlighted the perpetrator’s Asian identity, in order to whip up further division.
The response was overwrought. We saw a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric from politicians, the media, and the police force.
The establishment and the media, meanwhile, took this opportunity to cynically demonise the Palestine movement, and aimed to discourage protestors from attending demonstrations.
Local institutions were put on lockdown, while armed police were stationed around the city, and the whole country, instilling a mood of fear, panic, and unease amongst the public.
But where is this chorus of condemnation from this ruling class now? Where is the urgent police action for citizen protection? Just like the arson attack on a mosque in East Sussex last year, this event has passed by with barely a mention.
Instead of a COBRA meeting and a Downing Street press briefing, this time Starmer managed to muster up a single social media post about this “incident”.
I am concerned to hear of the incident at Manchester Central Mosque last night. I know this will be worrying for Muslim communities, especially during Ramadan, a time of peace and reflection.
My thanks go to the volunteers and emergency services for their quick response.
We…
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 25, 2026
Once again, the ruling class has proven that it offers no sincere support to protect the safety of workers and religious communities. They cry crocodile tears about such attacks only when it suits their narrow agenda.
And once again, ordinary working people have proven that they are far more effective at protecting their communities than the police are. The workers’ and anti-racist movements should stay vigilant, and be prepared to mobilise in defence of religious communities.
