Members of the Jewish community have said they are horrified after racist yobs targeted graves in a Muslim section of cemetery.

Vandals uprooted headstones, trampled on flowers and kicked over memorials in in Chadderton Cemetery, Oldham recently.

Sharon Bannister, President, Manchester Jewish Representative Council said in a statement today, “On behalf of the Greater Manchester Jewish Community, I was shocked to hear of the attack on the Muslim section of Chadderton Cemetery. This can only be seen as a racist attack and needs to be condemned by all, this has no place in a civilised society.

“The Jewish Community suffered a similar attack a couple of months ago and we took comfort and appreciated the messages of support that we received from the Muslim community. I did not expect to be returning the message of support so soon.

“I feel for your community, especially the relatives of those graves that have been vandalised, and I hope that the people that took part in this awful act are brought to justice quickly.”

A statement from the Muslim Jewish Forum read, “The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester is appalled by the attack on Muslim graves in Chadderton Cemetery.

“We condemn these despicable actions and send our sympathies to the relatives of those whose gravestones were vandalised .

“This attack follows a similar one on the Jewish Cemetery in Blackley just two months ago.

“Respect for burial places forms an essential part of both Judaism and Islam, as well as all other major religions. Accordingly we fail to understand how anyone could be motivated to carry out such an attack. We call on all citizens of Greater Manchester to ensure that “The universal human value of respect for burial places is passed on to all generations in our communities.”