British Jews suffered an ‘explosion in hatred’ in the wake of the Hamas terror attack, shocking figures reveal today.
The number of anti-Semitic incidents jumped 147 per cent last year to record levels, with a massive surge in the wake of the Hamas atrocities on October 7, a report said.
The Community Security Trust, a charity, recorded 4,103 instances of anti-Semitism, up from 1,662 in 2022. It included 266 violent assaults on Jews, up 96 per cent year-on-year and the highest figure since the CST started gathering data 40 years ago.
For the first time, it recorded at least one anti-Semitic incident for every police force in the UK, with the majority – more than 2,400 – in London, including some at vigils for Hamas’s Israeli hostages.
Home Secretary James Cleverly last night condemned the figures as ‘utterly deplorable’. Ten of the violent incidents involved fake firearms and three involved knives. Victims were struck with metal bars or other objects in 13 cases, 53 were punched or kicked and 36 were spat upon.
Protestors march along Oxford Street as they take part in a National Demonstration against military action in Gaza
The Community Security Trust, a charity, recorded 4,103 instances of anti-Semitism, up from 1,662 in 2022. It included 266 violent assaults on Jews, up 96 per cent year-on-year and the highest figure since the CST started gathering data 40 years ago (File Photo)
A further 58 saw stones, bricks, eggs, bottles or other objects thrown at victims.
Offenders removed Jews’ religious clothes or accessories in 15 cases, and vehicles were driven at pedestrians in a further ten.
Exactly half of the violent incidents occurred in just five boroughs – Barnet in north London saw 56; Hackney in east London saw 41; Bury and Salford in Greater Manchester saw 17 and 13 respectively; and Gateshead saw six.
Forty cases of assault were perpetrated by children against other children. The report said that, in all, 325 incidents involved schools or schoolchildren, up from 98 year-on-year, and a further 182 were at universities, up from 60.
A ‘worrying proportion’ of incidents involved children perpetrating anti-Semitism, the report said, with 379 cases involving under-18s either alone or in mixed age groups.
The CST said the week immediately after the October 7 massacre in Israel saw the highest levels overall, suggesting the spike in anti-Semitism was prompted by twisted celebrations of Hamas’s atrocities rather than Israel’s military response.
The charity, which monitors levels of anti-Semitism and provides security for British Jews, said in its report: ‘This record total is due to the sheer volume of anti-Semitism perpetrated across the UK following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
‘Of the 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish hate reported, 2,699 (66 per cent) occurred on or after October 7. This figure alone exceeds any previous annual anti-Semitic incident total recorded by CST. This trigger event had a seismic effect on anti-Semitic incident levels in the UK that outweighs the impact of previous wars involving Israel, and the impact was instant.’
Protesters hold placards and flags as they chant slogans during a rally in support of Palestinians, outside of the Houses of Parliament in central London to demand Members of Parliament vote for a ceasefire in Gaza, on November 15, 2023
People attend a Campaign Against Antisemitism rally outside New Scotland Yard in central London, seeking police action amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents
A spokesman for the charity said: ‘This was a watershed for anti-Semitism in the UK. The speed at which anti-Semites mobilised in the UK on and immediately after October 7 suggests that, initially at least, this increase in anti-Jewish hate was a celebration of the Hamas attack on Israel, rather than anger at Israel’s military response in Gaza.’
There were 31 incidents on October 7 alone, and they peaked in the week that followed with 416 including 80 on one day alone, October 11. Israel’s military operation against Hamas began on October 27.
The CST report said that in 955 incidents the offender referred to the Holocaust, Hitler or the Nazis, more than double the previous year’s total of 469.
It included 70 cases of Holocaust denial and 184 celebrating or glorifying the Holocaust. The CST also found cases of ‘damage and desecration of Jewish property’ rose by 146 per cent to 182. Of those, five involved damage to Jewish cemeteries, 43 to Jews’ homes or vehicles, nine to synagogues, 14 to businesses or organisations, nine to Jewish schools and seven to public menorahs used during the Chanukah festival.
For example, a poster of a baby kidnapped by Hamas was defaced with two swastikas in an incident in London at the end of last year, including a swastika drawn on the infant’s forehead.
In October a synagogue in Sussex was daubed with ‘SS IDF’ in red paint, with ‘SS’ depicted as the emblem of the Nazi’s genocidal elite guard, and ‘IDF’ referring to the Israeli Defence Forces.
The overall total also included 305 ‘direct anti-Semitic threats’ while the largest category of incident was 3,328 cases of ‘abusive behaviour’, up 149 per cent year-on-year.
Home Secretary James Cleverly last night condemned the figures as ‘utterly deplorable’ (File Photo)
The Socialist Worker’s Party contingent joining the march at Portland Place in London on October 14, 2023
Just over three out of ten of the grand total – 1,282 incidents – took place online, including 704 on X, formerly called Twitter. The CST report said that the ethnic description of offender ‘changed markedly’ after October 7.
In cases where the ethnic background of an anti-Semite was known, white people made up the largest group (53 per cent) between January 1 and October 6. A further 18 per cent were described as Arab or North African during that period.
After the Hamas attacks, Arabs and North Africans were the largest group (41 per cent) followed by whites (30 per cent), the report said. CST chief executive Mark Gardner said: ‘British Jews are strong and resilient, but the explosion in hatred against our community is an absolute disgrace. It occurs in schools, universities, workplaces, on the streets and all over social media.
‘We thank the Government and police for their support, but this is a challenge for everyone and we condemn the stony silence from those sections of society that eagerly call out racism in every other case, except when it comes to Jew hate.’
The CST works closely with police forces, which share data on anti-Semitic incidents with it. Other reports come from sources such as victims, relatives and witnesses.
Home Secretary Mr Cleverly said: ‘The rise in anti-Semitic hatred and abuse we have seen in the UK in recent months is utterly deplorable. I will do everything in my power to ensure they are safe, and just as importantly feel safe.’
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called the figures ‘appalling and intolerable’, adding: ‘There must be zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism in Britain and those who proliferate that poison on the streets and online must face the full force of the law.’
John Mann, the Government’s independent adviser on anti-Semitism, has called on politicians from all sides to ‘get their collective acts together to sort this out’.
The former Labour MP said a ‘tornado’ of anti-Jewish hatred was working its way through the nation. He told LBC on Tuesday: ‘I am dealing with this literally every waking hour, firefighting, assisting Jewish people who have been targeted in industry, culture, sports… all over this is happening.’