Jewish community representatives have condemned the treatment of a rabbi berated outside a mosque he had been invited to speak at. Rabbi Arnold Saunders, a councillor in Salford, who uses a walking stick, was left shaking as he was harangued and called a “snake” but has since played down the incident. He had gone to Masjid Bilal mosque in Prestwich, Greater Manchester to speak after prayers last Friday, as he is standing for the Conservative Party in the Bury South constituency in the General Election.
He had been invited there by Muslim elders, but a video online shows the elderly candidate being abused before he enters and finally leaves without speaking. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a statement: “We are disgusted by the abusive treatment of Rabbi Arnold Saunders, a candidate in Bury South. “Rabbi Saunders had been invited by the elders of a local mosque; the video shows that some of the attendees took issue with this and the footage clearly shows the Rabbi was being targeted in this fashion due to his religion.
“We urge all who care about the health of our democracy to call out this bigotry.” "You are a snake"WATCH the threatening way Rabbi Arnie Saunders was treated when he was invited to the Bilal Mosque in Prestwich, Manchester in his role as the Conservative candidate for Bury South by the mosque elders. That he was allowed to be abused, intimidated and have his.
.. — NW Friends of Israel (@NorthWestFOI) Rabbi Saunders told the PA news age.
