We used to see these figures only during war
WHEN CST’S antisemitic incidents team were compiling our latest report, I hoped that it would show that things were beginning to improve: but I knew that was very unlikely, because it was obvious how busy everything had been over the last six months.
The figures show a 10 per cent rise. Nobody can be entirely sure how much of that is better reporting rather than more actual antisemitism, but crime studies consistently show that around 75 per cent of incidents do not get reported to us, to police, security guards or anybody.
So, for CST what really matters is not the precise total, but the overall trend, and I think this is also what our community, police and government should focus upon.
The key thing is that every month over 100 antisemitic incidents are now being reported to CST. Previously, we only reached these totals when Israel was at war. The figure would suddenly escalate five or six-fold and then fall again, always a bit higher than before, but essentially drop back down.
Now, except for November and December 2017, we have seen these 100-plus totals every month since April 2016: which was when Ken Livingstone entered the Labour antisemitism saga with his disgusting ZionistNazi comments. Since then, the figures have been over twice as high as in previous years. It is not a temporary spike, it is what antisemitism looks like today, made even worse by social media, including against anyone daring to oppose the Labour leadership’s attitude to our community and its concerns.
At CST we have to plan ahead and be realistic about what the future may hold. In particular if, or when, Israel is next at war, we will see a dramatic sudden escalation in the antisemitism. Past experience shows it will be at least a five or six-fold increase, coming on top of where things currently stand, but it will also be a lot more violent than what we have right now.
All of this, as well as the threat of terrorism from jihadis and the far right, is why CST does its work and it is why we need the partnership of our entire community, which includes you telling the police and my team at CST about antisemitism, should you have the misfortune of encountering it.
This is not temporary, it is what antisemitsim looks like today