Stabbed Three Times, He Saved a Synagogue: The Politics of Heroism in an Age of Hate

On the morning of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Andrew Franks, a chef from Bury, was stabbed three times by a terrorist. Despite life-threatening injuries to his head, neck, and spine, he tripped the attacker, shouted a warning, and helped barricade the doors of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue. His actions saved hundreds of lives. He has now been honoured with a Pride of Britain Award for Outstanding Bravery.

This story is not simply one of individual courage. It is a stark reminder of the systemic failures that allow antisemitic violence to fester, and of the state institutions that too often respond with force rather than prevention. As we honour Andrew Franks, we must also ask: why did the security services fail to stop this attack? And what does it mean to celebrate heroism while the structures that breed hate remain untouched?

Who is Andrew Franks and what happened at Heaton Park synagogue?

Andrew Franks, 53, had been volunteering as a security guard at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall for about a year. He was called in at the last minute to cover on Yom Kippur, October 2 last year. That morning, he noticed a man, later identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, loitering across the road, taking photos of the synagogue. Something wasn't quite right, Franks recalled.

Al-Shamie asked the other guards if he could park his car in the synagogue. When refused, he began shouting about Jews and stumbled off. Franks told the guards to call 999. Minutes later, Al-Shamie rammed his car into the synagogue gates.

He said: I went to grab him and thought he stabbed me once, although I found out it was three times. It felt like my ear was hanging off. He was wearing what looked like a suicide belt, but it turned out to be false. He shouted 'I'm going to f***ing kill you, you Jewish...'

Despite his injuries, Franks tripped the terrorist as he ran toward the synagogue, then got up and shouted lock the doors. He was chased and attacked again, but escaped and was let inside. Al-Shamie pounded on the doors and smashed pots against them, but was shot dead by firearms officers. A stray round passed through the doors, killing Adrian Daulby, 53, an old school friend of Franks, and injuring congregant Yoni Finlay. Melvin Cravitz, 66, had already been stabbed to death outside the gates. Security guard Bernard Agyemang was injured after being struck by the car.

What does this act of bravery reveal about institutional failures?

While the state rushes to celebrate individual heroism, it often avoids confronting its own complicity. The Chief Coroner for England and Wales, Judge Alexia Durran, has recommended that the inquests into the attack be converted into a public inquiry because there is classified MI5 intelligence to review. This is a critical admission: the state may have had information that, had it been acted upon, could have prevented this atrocity.

We must deconstruct the narrative that frames this as an isolated act of radicalisation. Al-Shamie's motive was pure antisemitism. As Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson stated: There is absolutely no question that the motive of the attacker was purely to attack these people simply because they were Jewish. This is not an anomaly; it is the logical endpoint of a society that has failed to dismantle systemic antisemitism, islamophobia, and the intersecting oppressions that fuel hate.

Franks' father, Ellis, now 81, held his son's wounds until medics arrived. He described the scene: Blood was pouring and pouring out, it was a flood. I got some tissues and I pressed against his ear. I didn't know he'd been stabbed in the neck. I held it there until the bleeding slowed, then he started going in and out of consciousness. Later, the consultant said I'd saved his life.

Ellis also spoke of the ongoing trauma: I just get upset when I see Andrew because he's not going to recover 100 per cent. It's heartbreaking.

How is the community responding to this attack?

The Jewish community in Manchester is in mourning and in solidarity. Franks, whose wife Rama died last March after battling cancer for 15 years, has been part of the synagogue community his whole life. He celebrated his wedding and Bar Mitzvah there. He has not yet been able to return to work for the NHS Greater Manchester Mental Health Unit and is still receiving treatment for his injuries.

His daughter Tamara is a constant presence in his thoughts. He told the surgeon: Please save me. I have a daughter.

This attack is a reminder that antisemitism is not a relic of the past. It is a present and deadly threat. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, and we call for a public inquiry into the MI5 intelligence failures. We also call for a broader reckoning: with the state's reliance on policing and surveillance rather than community-led safety, and with the media's tendency to sensationalise while ignoring the root causes of hate.

What can we learn from Andrew Franks' heroism?

Andrew Franks is a hero, but his heroism should not be used to absolve the state of its responsibilities. His actions were extraordinary, but they were made necessary by a failure of prevention. We must honour his courage by demanding accountability, not just celebration.

As Sir Stephen Watson noted: I have no doubt that had this radicalised terrorist got into the synagogue, he would've committed mass murder. Franks prevented that. But we must ask: why was it left to a volunteer security guard to stop a terrorist that MI5 may have been tracking?

We extend our deepest condolences to the families of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, and to the entire Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation. We stand with you. And we commit to the work of dismantling the systems that allow hate to flourish.

#JusticeForCravitzAndDaulby #ProtectOurSynagogues #DismantleHate