Doctor terrified after brick thrown through window at Palestine flag

An NHS doctor was left terrified when a brick "large enough to kill her" was thrown through her window after she displayed a Palestine flag.

The medic, from Salford, Greater Manchester, heard a "severe" bang followed by the sound of glass smashing as the brick was thrown through her window at 2:30am on 5 February.

Mahetab, who did not want to give her full name due to fears for her safety, told Yahoo News: "I was so terrified that I stepped on the glass to reach the window to try to see who did that. I couldn't see anyone, but I heard the sound of a car moving quickly."

She called 999, and police officers visited her home and photographed the scene. Greater Manchester Police have since told Yahoo News they conducted an initial investigation into criminal damage on a property, but were unable to find 'evidential opportunities'.

In a statement, the force said: "GMP understands that this is still an extremely worrying time for communities across Greater Manchester, and our thoughts are with them at what is a very difficult time.

"Officers are actively engaging with representatives from the Jewish and Muslim communities since the attacks in the Middle East, with increased high-visibility patrols in place to ensure communities feel safe with their concerns and are continuing to provide an appropriate policing response."

Since October 2023, there has been an increase in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. The doctor also added that her friend, who wore a headscarf, was verbally assaulted in Manchester by a passerby in a separate incident.

Two weeks prior to the attack, the doctor was called by a man responsible for the maintenance of the building, followed by an email from the letting agency, both of whom asked her to remove the flag from her window. She refused, as she said she wasn't doing anything against the law.

She said: "On the contrary, I was expressing my opinion and my solidarity in a very peaceful way, just a nation's flag, no hate speech, no damage to any public or personal properties, and I didn't hurt anyone.

• Read more: The rules about flying the Palestinian flag in the UK, explained

"If we just close our eyes and shut our mouths on what's happening to our brothers and sisters in Palestine from killing and ethnic cleansing of innocent people and preventing delivery of humanitarian aid, food, clean water, electricity, fuel and basic things that keep people alive, we won't be humans."

She said she had already felt uneasy over the request to remove the flag, and the attack has made her even more anxious. The doctor added she hasn't slept through the night since the brick attack.

She said she was 'shocked' by the event and is afraid of being at home. She said an officer who attended the scene said the brick was so large it could have killed her.

"I'm not able to stay at my own home now, I can't sleep in my home, I don't know what I would experience again if I stayed in that home without arresting who did this," she said.

The police updated her with the investigation and said that due to poor lighting and lack of cameras, they were unable to find any identifying evidence of the offender.

She said: "I'm a doctor, and I'm not able to go to work, not able to walk alone at night. I keep moving around the flat and looking from the windows at night to see if they are coming again. This is very scary."

"The idea that the police wasn't able to help because there were no cameras and the lights in the street in weren't enough, all of these things affected my mental and psychological health even more."

She urged the attack not to be ignored as if nothing had happened. She said: "What would prevent this from happening again and again if the police isn't able to help and nothing has changed after the incident."

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