‘Motivated by conflict’, UK hate crimes are rising

ANTI-SEMITIC hate crime is at its highest level in five years after a spike last month which led to more than 130 incidents motivated by the conflict in Gaza, new figures suggest.

A damaged gravestone at a cemetery in Manchester. Picture: SWNS

The Community Security Trust (CST), which records attacks on the Jewish community in the UK, also reported a 36 per cent rise in anti-Semitic incidents, including violent crime and vandalism, during the first six months of this year.

In total, the charity’s Anti-Semitic Incidents Report said there were 304 incidents of racially motivated hate crime between January and June, which was followed by 130 recorded in July – the highest monthly total since January 2009, which coincided with conflict in Gaza.

CST spokesman Mark Gardner said: “There is no excuse for this wave of racist intimidation and violence and we call upon all good people to unequivocally condemn it.”

Among the hate crimes recorded were 22 violent assaults, none of which were life-threatening, 27 incidents of damage and desecration of Jewish property, 232 incidents of abuse including verbal, graffiti, abuse via social media, and four cases of mass-mailed racist leaflets.

John Mann MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism, said: “There is no clear explanation for the rise, which may reflect both better reporting and a worsening of the problem. Even more worrying is that since the period covered by this report, CST has already recorded over 130 further incidents.”