UK Experiences Highest Volume of Anti-Semitic Incidents Recorded in 40 Years: Report

A Jewish boy on the top of an open top bus during the annual Purim holiday, in London, on March 7, 2023. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A large volume of anti-Semitic incidents perpetrated following Hamas’s terror attack on Israel have contributed to the UK experiencing its highest levels of anti-Semitism in 40 years, a charity has said.

The Community Security Trust (CST) published a report on Thursday stating they received reports of 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish hate across the UK in 2023, the highest annual level the charity has received since it started recording the figures in 1984.

“The record total of anti-Jewish hate incidents in 2023 is a result of the unparallelled volume of antisemitism perpetrated following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October,” the report authors said, noting that of the 4,103 instances, 2,699 (66 percent) occurred on or after Oct. 7, 2023.

The CST noted that while it normally observes a spike in anti-Semitism reporting when Israel is at war, “there is one key difference: this time, antisemitic incidents skyrocketed in the immediate aftermath of a terror attack responsible for the highest Jewish death toll on any day since the Holocaust, before Israel had coordinated any substantive military response.”

A ‘Celebration’ of Hamas’s Terror Attack

“The speed at which antisemites mobilised in the UK following Hamas’ attack shows that, initially at least, the significant increase in anti-Jewish hate was, if anything, a celebration of Hamas’ massacre by people whose own hatred was emboldened and, in their minds, legitimised by the brutality enacted on civilians in southern Israel,” the report said, stating that 31 anti-Semitic incidents were reported to the charity on Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the terror attack itself.

Of the total for the year, 1,774 (43 percent) of incidents were Israel or Palestine related, which the charity said was a 621 percent rise from the 246 such cases in 2022, when there was no significant trigger event in the Middle East. The next most frequent type involved offenders alluding to Hitler, the Nazis, or the Holocaust, which accounted for 955 incidents, followed by anti-Semitic conspiracy theories (319).

The charity said it had not included in the report’s statistics a further 2,185 incidents because they were not deemed to be anti-Semitic, including criminal activity affecting Jewish people and anti-Israel activity that did not include anti-Semitic motives or language.

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Broken down by incident type, abusive behaviour accounted for 3,328 incidents, followed by 305 threats, 266 assaults, 182 instances of damage or desecration, and 22 incidents of mass-produced anti-Semitic literature. Thirty-one percent of incidents (1,282) occurred online.

In 2023, more than half (2,410) of the anti-Semitic incidents were reported in Greater London, followed by Greater Manchester (555), both homes to the largest Jewish populations in the UK.

In terms of sources of the incident reporting, the highest proportion were the police (1,177) followed by victims (1,154), witnesses (925), CST staff (287), the victims’ friends or relatives (273), and other sources.

Home Secretary James Cleverly giving evidence to the Home Affairs Committee at the House of Commons in London on Jan. 31, 2024. (PA)

Rise in Anti-Semitism ‘Utterly Deplorable’

Home Secretary James Cleverly commented on CST’s report in a statement, calling the rise in anti-Semitism “utterly deplorable.” Mr. Cleverly, who recently met with the CST, said the government had taken “strong steps” to confront anti-Semitism, including increasing funding for security at synagogues and Jewish schools and ensuring that “hate crime and expressions of support for the terrorist organisation Hamas are met with the full force of the law.”

The government had also recently proscribed the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which the home secretary called “an anti-Semitic organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism.”

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement: “The appalling and intolerable rise in anti-Semitism we have seen over recent months is a stain on our society and we must never relent in our work to root it out. We must not allow events unfolding internationally to play out in increased hatred and prejudice here in our communities.”

Ms. Cooper made the remarks after her party dropped two parliamentary candidates in as many days following reports of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel remarks made during a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party in October.

On Monday, Labour withdrew support from Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali, who allegedly claimed Israel had allowed the October terror attacks to happen and also blamed “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters” for fuelling criticism of pro-Palestinian MP Andy McDonald.

The following day, Labour suspended Hyndburn candidate Graham Jones for reportedly saying “[expletive] Israel” and allegedly suggesting UK citizens who volunteer to fight for Israel should be “locked up.”

Also this week, the Soho Theatre banned comedian Paul Currie after he had he allegedly verbally abused a Jewish man in the audience and told him to leave during his comedy gig on Saturday evening, with others in the audience allegedly shouting “get out” and “free Palestine” until the man and his partner left.

Liahav Eitan said the incident occurred after he objected to the waving of a Palestinian flag at the end of Mr. Currie’s set.

Mr. Eitan told the BBC on Wednesday, “The past four months since the 7 October living in London as a Jewish Israeli, that’s not been an easy thing to do.”

“The city is pretty unwelcoming at the moment,” he said.