I no longer recognise this country - we must stand with UK Jews before it's too late

As a writer and broadcaster, I'm rarely speechless. Speech is, quite literally, my job. But the events of recent weeks, from the Manchester synagogue attacks to the reactions of hateful yobs masquerading as champions of the Palestinian cause, have left me stunned. And on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, I've reached a sobering conclusion: I no longer recognise this country.

I grew up in the borough with the highest Jewish population in Britain. As a teenager, that meant nothing more than being part of a wonderfully rich social fabric. As cliché as it sounds, my friends and I didn't see colour; we were young women dreaming about the futures we'd build in the country we proudly called home. Yes, Britain had its problems, but it felt as though my generation had moved past the petty divisions that held society back.

I was naïve, of course. I noticed Jewish schools had armed security and special protocols, but I thought that was temporary. That with time and goodwill, such precautions would become unnecessary. That was my reasoning as a 14-year-old girl: Britain was moving forward, and antisemitism would fade into history.

Fast forward to adulthood. One of my closest friends decided to move to Israel, or "make Aliyah", as she put it. It was a profound, personal journey; one I couldn't relate to as a Christian of West African heritage, but I supported her wholeheartedly.

Weeks later, she phoned me from a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv, terrified. I stayed on the line for hours, trying to comfort her as rockets rained down. Once the dust quite literally settled, I told her to get the next flight home. She did. Back in the safety of a Sainsbury's car park in Britain, she exhaled deeply. She was home. She was safe. She couldn't imagine that the same hatred aiming rockets at her abroad would reach her here.

Little did she know, it already had.

When news broke that a British man of Syrian origin named Jihad (you couldn't make it up) had murdered one person in an antisemitic attack at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur last Thursday - the other was shot dead by police - British Jews were not surprised. Think about that. A Jew was murdered in Britain for being Jewish, and not a single Jew was surprised.

For me, that realisation was like being plunged into icy water. How did we get to a point where Jewish people in this country, overwhelmingly hardworking, patriotic, and accommodating, aren't surprised to be targeted on the holiest day of their calendar? If that isn't a national disgrace, what is?

The truth has been staring us in the face for two years. Pro-Palestine protests have devolved into hate marches. Jewish business owners are closing on Saturdays (their busiest days) because they no longer feel safe. I was foolish enough to believe the politics of Gaza and the Middle East could remain separate from British domestic life. I thought British people could hold opinions on a conflict thousands of miles away without importing its hatred.

I'm also aware that today's charged climate often reeks of opportunism, with different groups rushing to issue statements of "solidarity". I don't need performative declarations from community leaders. I need to see a country that protects its citizens. Because this is not about communities, it's about Britain.

We are witnessing attacks on British people by individuals who hate Britain and its values. I don't care if the victims are white, black, Jewish or Christian. This is a national problem.

And no, this is not an endorsement of the warped moral calculus of our Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, who thinks that protestors "taking a day off" after a murder is evidence of decency. There is no 'both sides' argument here. One side is supporting a terrorist organisation and calling for the death of Jews. That's evil enough for me.

I'm equally uninterested in fashionable waffle that makes Jews share their grief with other victims of 'isms' and 'phobias' for the sake of 'balance. Just as I have a right to live in a country where the n-word isn't plastered over lampposts by 'protestors', Jewish people deserve to live here in safety and dignity.

Yes, I have criticisms of the way the conflict in Gaza has been conducted. But what does that have to do with my Jewish neighbour - here, in Britain - who simply wants to live in peace and share in the prosperity this country has to offer? Absolutely nothing.

Lord Sewell wrote recently about why Britain's black community should stand with the Jewish community. He's right, but I'd go further. This isn't about one community backing another. This is about Britain standing up for itself.

I stand with Britain's Jews. Not as a member of the black community. Not as a broadcaster. As a decent person who refuses to watch this hateful cancer spread through the country I love.