Anti-Semitic crime hits new high

Home Secretary pledges action following a record number of attacks on Jewish people

THE number of hate crimes against Jewish people in Britain has soared to record levels, figures show.

In the first six months of this year there were an unprecedented 767 anti-Semitic incidents – up 30 per cent on the 589 incidents recorded during the first six months of 2016.

The figures, from the Community Security Trust charity, showed an alarming upward trend in abuse and even assaults on Jewish people.

Eighty incidents involved physical attacks – a 78 per cent increase from the 45 assaults recorded during the same period in 2016.

The most common single type of incident recorded in the first half of 2017 involved verbal abuse randomly directed at visibly Jewish people in public. In 184 incidents, Jewish victims, male or female, were attacked or abused while going about their daily business in public places.

In at least a further 203 incidents, the victims were visibly Jewish usually due to their religious or traditional clothing, school uniform or jewellery bearing Jewish symbols.

Almost three-quarters of all incidents were recorded in Greater London and Greater Manchester, the two largest Jewish communities in the UK.

CST chief executive David Delew said: “CST has again recorded an unprecedented number of antiSemitic incidents, with figures now almost twice as bad as five years ago. Some of this may be down to improved reporting, but it is sadly clear that the overall situation has deteriorated.

“Anti-Semitism increasing impact is on having an the lives of British Jews and the hatred and anger that lies behind it is spreading.”

Both the Government and police pledged to tackle the problem.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “Anti-Semitism has no place in this country, which prides itself on openness, diversity and tolerance.

“This Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan has improved the response of law enforcement to these deplorable crimes, including encouraging more victims to report incidents directly to police or via trusted organisations such as CST.

“This may partly explain the increase in reported incidents. But I am clear that one such incident is one too many and we will continue to do everything we can to stamp out the hatred and division that blights our communities. That is why we are providing £13.4million to protect Jewish sites and made available £900,000 for innovative schemes to tackle hate crime.”

CST monitors anti-Semitism and provides security for the Jewish community. It said the number was the highest total it had ever recorded for the January to June period.

The previous record high was in the first half of 2009 when CST recorded 629 incidents.