Anti-Semitic incidents fall across region

CHARITY RECORDS 11PC DECREASE IN 2019

ANTI-SEMITIC incidents decreased in Greater Manchester last year – despite an overall increase across the country.

However, Salford has been highlighted as a hotspot for violent antiSemitic assaults after a number of incidents in 2019 – including one in which a victim was punched in the face.

The Jewish charity Communities Security Trust (CST) said there was a 7 per cent increase in incidents in 2019, with more than 100 recorded every month.

CST said this indicates ‘a general atmosphere of intolerance and prejudice is maintaining the high incident totals, rather than a one-off specific ‘trigger’ event.’

However, they added that the highest single monthly totals in 2019 came in February and December, ‘both months when the problem of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party was the subject of sustained discussion and activity.’

Almost two-thirds of the 1,805 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in Greater London and Greater Manchester, the two largest Jewish communities in the country. CST recorded an 11pc fall in incidents in Greater Manchester, from 251 in 2018 to 223 incidents in 2019.

Of these incidents, 73 happened in Bury, 68 in Salford, 39 in the city of Manchester, 12 in Bolton, nine in Stockport and five in Trafford.

The charity said Salford was among three boroughs that accounted for almost half of all violent anti-Semitic assaults nationally in 2019. Overall there were 159 incidents, an increase of 25pc on 2018. Of these, 29 were in Barnet and 28 in Hackney, both London boroughs, and 15 were in Salford.

Mark Gardner, a spokesman for CST, told the M.E.N. incidents in 2019 included a victim being punched in the face, Jewish skull caps being snatched off heads, and objects being thrown such as eggs, food, a bottle and, in one case, a metal bar.

He said: “Anybody who knows Salford will have seen how vibrant and full Jewish life is there. But unfortunately, a small number of Jewish hate crimes do occur, including those involving violence.”

CST said the vast majority of incidents – around 80pc – could be categorised as ‘abusive behaviour.’