PRESS REVIEW – Friday, October 3: We look at reactions in the British papers after a fatal stabbing outside a Manchester synagogue on a holy Jewish holiday. This Friday also marks 35 years since the reunification of East and West Germany, but have the divides been bridged? Plus: human rights groups find nothing to laugh about a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia, where freedom of speech is restricted. Finally, an American woman who won the Cheesemonger World Cup title last month explains how she did it.
There's shock in the UK after a man stabbed two people to death outside a synagogue in Manchester. British police have called the stabbings a terrorist attack. It took place as people gathered at an Orthodox synagogue for Yom Kippur, a sacred Jewish holiday. It's why the Daily Express says "terror on the holiest day." The paper says police shot and killed the suspect in the aftermath of the stabbings, this as protection around synagogues has been increased. For the Daily Mirror, it's an "act of evil on a holy day". The daily pays tribute to Daniel Walker, the "hero rabbi" who saved countless lives by physically blocking the doorway to prevent the attacker from entering. The Daily Telegraph columnist Danny Cohen deplores the "steady, ever louder drumbeat of Jew hate since October 7th, 2023." Anti-Semitism has been normalised, he says, creating a toxic social petri dish in which those with violent intent gain confidence to act out their racist fantasies. He slams the failure of those in power to prevent such attacks from happening.
This Friday, October 3 marks 35 years since the reunification of East and West Germany. As German daily Der Taggesspeigel notes, the anniversary falls at a difficult time for Germany. The front page illustration underpins this idea: a Germany being held up by band aids. The paper says Germany is still united but its hearts are not, with gaping differences between the two "Germanies".
Elsewhere, a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia has drawn the best of American comedians – but is drawing controversy, as The New York Times reports. It's the kingdom's first global comedy festival and it's drawn huge names like Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and Jimmy Carr. Human rights groups, however, have slammed the comedians for their participation, saying they're lending legitimacy to a country that doesn't respect human rights. The Riyadh Comedy festival kicked off on September 26 and ends on October 9. The timing is particularly bittersweet. Thursday, October 2 marked the seventh anniversary of the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, which has been blamed on the Saudi crown prince. It also comes after US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's suspension over comments about Charlie Kirk's death sparked a widespread debate about freedom of speech in the US. As The Times notes, the Saudi festival was ironically an occasion for comedians like Dave Chappelle, who feel muzzled by American political correctness, to say what they really think about America – but not about Saudi Arabia and its oppressive governance.
Finally, The Washington Post profiles a woman who became the first American to win the Cheesemongers World Cup! Emilia D'Albero participated in the biennial Mondial de Fromage, as it's known, or the Cheese World Cup that wrapped up last month in the French city of Tours. She beat out some strong rivals in the competition that lasted for eight hours. Participants had to do a written exam that could "humble a doctoral student", a blind test, cut cheese, do cheese pairings and create a cheese platter based on an improvised theme. Her cheese of predilection? Italian Parmagiano! To win, D'Albero trained like an athlete: long hours, exacting drills, heavy lifting, sculpting and slicing until her hands ached!
You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
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