Anti-Semitic Hate Events in the UK Reach Record High, Nearly Doubling in 2023.
The number of anti-Jewish hate events reported to the Community Security Trust (CST) increased to 4,103 in 2023 from 1,662 in 2022, nearly doubling the previous high of 2,255 incidents in 2021. Out of all the occurrences, two-thirds occurred on or after October 7th's Hamas attacks.
In the week following the attacks, the CST committed to safeguarding British Jews from anti-Semitism, and recorded 416 incidents, marking the highest number reported in any subsequent week. It was implied by the CST that the surge "was a celebration of the Hamas attack on Israel, rather than anger at Israel's military response in Gaza."
Last year, the CST documented 266 instances of violent assaults, reaching another record high. Notably, half of these incidents took place in regions with substantial Jewish communities, such as North London and Manchester.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak provided an extra £3 million ($3.8 million) in funding to the CST last year, further fortifying security measures at Jewish institutions. The Metropolitan Police in London has vowed to intensify efforts against hate crimes associated with the Israel-Hamas conflict, resulting in over 400 related arrests as of last month.
In response to increased tensions since last October, various Jewish schools, including Manchester's King David High School, have implemented heightened security measures.
Although students feel protected at school, some claim they have experienced abuse on the way there and back. Speaking to BBC, a student named Yoni declared that verbal abuse on the street has become the norm.
The government pledged £7 million in funds in November to assist colleges and universities in combating antisemitism. Out of the £7 million, organisations can now bid for £5.5 million.
The CST reported that the first instance of this type of event happened on October 7. The charity received a report of a car passing a synagogue in Hertfordshire with windows down, a Palestinian flag attached, and an individual pumping their fist in the air in the direction of the synagogue.
According to the report by CST, anti-Semitic incidents tied to universities surged more than threefold, increasing from 60 in 2022 to 182 in 2023. Online antisemitic incidents constituted 31% of the total in 2023, up from 22% in 2022. Notably, there was at least one antisemitic incident reported in every police region in the UK for the first time.
CST chief executive Mark Gardner expressed his gratitude to the government and police for their help but also said, "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."
Image credit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/
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