Antisemitic incidents in the UK more than doubled in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period the previous year, attributed to the war in Gaza, according to a leading Jewish charity.
The total number of incidents recorded for the first six months of this year was 1,978. The comparable number for 2023 was 964.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism and provides security for Jewish communities in Britain, said the figures were unprecedented and shocking.
“This is a hatred that, while deeply rooted, adapts to current social, political and cultural contexts. The most common form of political or ideological discourse present in antisemitic incidents reported to CST throughout the first half of 2024 referenced, or was linked to, Israel, Gaza, the Hamas terror attack or the subsequent war, alongside anti-Jewish language or targeting,” the CST said.
There was evidence of “political or ideological rhetoric or motivations” in more than seven out of 10 incidents recorded by the CST.
A record number of antisemitic incidents involved schoolchildren, school staff or school property. The total of 162 incidents was more than double the number of incidents for the same period the previous year.
The CST also logged a sharp rise in anti-Jewish hate incidents on university campuses and other higher education settings – more than five times the previous year’s tally.
Its report said: “One reason why incident levels have remained so high for so long following 7 October is that this war has lasted longer than any previous conflicts in Israel and Gaza, and therefore has held public attention and scrutiny for a greater period of time.
“Images of death and destruction have continued to circulate in mainstream and social media, anti-Israel protests have persisted, as have vigils for the hostages kidnapped by Hamas.”
This has resulted in “heightened feelings of uncertainty and fear among Jewish people, who know that they may become proxy targets for hostility towards Israel”, the CST added.
The charity recorded 121 incidents in the category of assault, an increase of 41% from the first half of 2023. Cases of damage and desecration to Jewish property rose by 246%.
There were 142 incidents in the category of threats and 1,618 in the category of abusive behaviour.
The majority of incidents took place in Greater London and Greater Manchester, home to the largest Jewish communities in the UK. But there were also incidents in other places, including Brighton, Cambridge, Oxford and Birmingham.
Mark Gardner, the CST’s chief executive, said: “The disgraceful surge in British antisemitism is further evidenced by these latest figures. It happens across society, including in schools, campuses, places of work, public transport and on the streets.
“The CST applauds our community’s ever-increasing determination to stand strong and proud, despite the hatred, vilification and blatant double standards that we too often face, including from many who perversely call themselves anti-racists.”
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said: “The soaring levels of antisemitic hate outlined in this report are truly appalling, and we must never relent in our work to root out this hatred in all its forms.
“There is no place in Britain for this vile hatred and we are absolutely clear that those who push this poison – on the streets or online – must always face the full force of the law.”
British Muslims have also experienced a big increase in hate incidents since last October, according to the charity Tell Mama.
A survey of 550 Muslims found that 60% believed anti-Muslim hate had increased. More than one in four respondents said they had experienced an anti-Muslim hate incident.
Iman Atta, the director of Tell Mama, said: “These findings demonstrate that British Muslims feel a sense of trepidation and a growing sense of the toxic nature of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia. This is even before the recent events and the attacks on mosques like Southport mosque by members of the far right.”
