Covid-19 conspiracies fuel antisemitic incidents in UK, confirms CST report

The charity’s study, published on Thursday, confirmed that hate incidents against the Jewish community
were “strongly influenced” by the pandemic which also “affected where and how antisemitic incidents occurred.”

The Antisemitic Incidents Report 2020 detailed how Jews were frequently targeted with conspiracy theories blaming them for “involvement in creating and spreading Covid-19 (or creating the so-called ‘myth’ of Covid-19), to simply wishing that Jewish people catch the virus and die from it.”

Forty-one incidents in 2020 involved references to the pandemic alongside antisemitic rhetoric, said the report.

CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner said: “CST had hoped that antisemitic incidents would fall by more than this during 2020. The fact that they didn’t means we must remain even more vigilant for 2021, especially as the economic impact of Covid-19 may cause more extremism and division within society.”

Also commenting on the report National Policing Lead for Hate Crime, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has dominated and disrupted so many lives and has provided a new focus for historic hostilities.

“We have observed that the conspiracy theories that have affected many communities often include antisemitic tropes. This presented us new challenges in 2020 and, as we’ve come to expect, CST is able to help others to stay safe, as well as the Jewish community.”

The Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, Lord Mann, said: “It is clear that Covid-19 has led to a rise in antisemitic conspiracy theories and the use of dangerous alterative media platforms.”

The government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, Lord Mann, said: “It is clear that Covid-19 has led to a rise in antisemitic conspiracy theories and the use of dangerous alterative
media platforms.”

The report noted the response to the spate of antisemitic tweets posted by grime artist Wiley in July, which
drew on tropes about Jewish power and money while comparing Jews to the Ku Klux Klan.

It stated: “This appeared to encourage others to express their own antisemitism: CST recorded 23 incidents in which the offender either attempted to justify Wiley’s antisemitic ideas or targeted those who spoke out against Wiley with further antisemitic abuse.”

The CST report recorded 100 violent antisemitic incidents in 2020, a 39 per cent fall from 158 incidents involving violence in 2019.

Ninety-seven of these violent incidents were in the category of assault while three were classified by CST as ‘Extreme Violence’, meaning they involved potential grievous bodily harm (GBH) or a threat to life, compared to just one in 2019.

There were 72 incidents of Damage and  Desecration of Jewish property in 2020; 1,399 incidents of Abusive Behaviour, including verbal abuse, antisemitic graffiti, antisemitic abuse via social media and one-off hate mail; 85 direct antisemitic threats; and 12 cases of mass-mailed antisemitic leaflets or emails.

Responding to the report Home Secretary Priti Patel said it was “ shameful that in the 21st century, the Jewish community still faces racist abuse and the desecration of their synagogues and other religious and community sites.”

Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “A fall in antisemitic incidents is to be welcomed and is testament to the work of CST and the wider Jewish community. However, any act is one too many and the overall numbers remain far too high.”