Unprecedented levels of antisemitism are now the norm in Britain, with more than 100 incidents typically recorded every month.
A total of 803 Jew-hate incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2023, almost matching the 823 reported in the same period the previous year, according to data released this week by the Community Security Trust (CST).
The proportion of antisemitic incidents targeting children also remained stubbornly high. Of the cases where the victim’s age was ascertained, one in five exclusively involved people aged under 18.
In one case, two Jewish girls leaving a gym in Barnet were confronted by a group of children. When the offenders saw that one of the girls was wearing a Star of David, they began to shout and throw stones.
Elsewhere, a Jewish man who had just completed the Great Manchester Run was approached by an aggressor who shouted that he should “go back to the gas chambers”.
The number of incidents reported in Greater London dipped four per cent to 447, but in Manchester reports rocketed by 29 per cent to 132, the CST said.
After Greater London and Greater Manchester, the police regions with the highest number of antisemitic incidents recorded were Hertfordshire, Wales and Northumbria.
“This re-emphasises a truth of contemporary antisemitism,” the report states. “It exists in most parts of the country and finds expression regardless of proximity to Jewish communities.”
The “consistently high volume of reported anti-Jewish hate is now typical of the levels recorded in the UK”, yet was “unprecedented prior to 2017,” it adds.
Based on reports to the CST, rates of antisemitism have soared on Twitter, recently rebranded as “X”, since tech mogul Elon Musk took over the platform last autumn. Overall, the number of antisemitic online incidents reported to the CST was 37 per cent higher in the first six months of 2023 compared to same period in 2022.
In one instance, a Jewish man in Barnet received a message on Facebook Messenger from a stranger warning “the Aryan brotherhood will again reign in triumph over your kind” and threatening to have his teeth and hair “removed”.
Lord Mann, the government’s adviser on antisemitism, said: “Anyone who thinks the issue has gone away needs to read this report and see how antisemitism manages to persist and find new outlets to threaten, abuse and harm Jewish citizens of all ages.
"The co-operation between government, criminal justice and the CST remains the cornerstone of how we monitor and challenge antisemitism. There is a consensus across Parliament about this being a high and continuous priority.”
X did not respond to a request for comment.
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