Chris Mason: Why protests have started a debate over 'Britishness'

"When a political party gathers for its annual conference, the host city (or at least the political and security bubble that surrounds the conference centre) becomes home to feverish and partisan political chat. What is different about the next few days is Manchester is also a city in mourning after the horrific attack on Thursday. There is, of course, still sharp political argument here but the emotional and practical backdrop is one of grief, fear and an ongoing police investigation."

"Many Jewish people are furious more has not been done - for years - to protect them. And all this poses some of the biggest questions about who we are and what we hold dear. The other day the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pleaded with pro-Palestinian protesters not to head out onto the streets in the immediate days after the attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue. She argued that to do so would be "un-British"."

Manchester hosts an annual political conference while the city mourns after a horrific attack, creating an emotional backdrop of grief, fear and an ongoing police investigation. Flags outside the conference centre fly at half mast and communities across the UK feel terrorised and grieving. Many Jewish people feel furious that protections have been insufficient for years, prompting debates over antisemitism and rising Islamophobia. The Home Secretary pleaded with pro-Palestinian protesters not to demonstrate near the Heaton Park Synagogue soon after the attack, calling such action 'un-British', while others question plans to legislate against repeated protests. Political leaders debate fundamental tenets of Britishness—democracy, protest, tolerance, proportionality and communal relations—amidst heightened security and communal tensions.

Read at www.bbc.com