Below is our statement regarding Manchester City Council charity owned Bridgewater Hall hosting antisemitic extremist Sheikh Alfasy.

“Despite raising our concerns regarding previous racist and inflammatory comments made by Sheikh Alfasy including calls for violence against Jewish people and social media posts accusing Jews of condoning child rape, the Trustees of The Bridgewater Hall and Leadership of Manchester City Council have not seen fit to cancel this event.

To allow an extremist a prominent platform in one of our city’s most iconic venues makes a mockery of the assurances we have received to tackle antisemitism in all its forms.  It also raises the serious risk of further attacks on Jews and the Jewish community in Greater Manchester.

We will be working with communal partners to raise the issue with the charity commission and push for strict sanctions regarding this flagrant breach of their charitable objectives.”