For the fourth year running, the number of antisemitic hate crimes has reached an all-time high, a Community Security Trust (CST) report has revealed.
1,805 incidents were reported to the CST in 2019, an increase of 7% from 2018, with online hate crimes almost tripling in the past two years. According to this year’s CST report, almost four in ten antisemitic incidents are online. Of the total 1,805 hate crimes, 697 incidents – or 39% – are now online. In 2018, by comparison, CST recorded 384 online incidents – or 23% of the total.
The highest single monthly totals in antisemitic incident reports came in December and February, both months when the problem of antisemitism in the Labour Party was in the spotlight.
In February 2019, several Labour MPs resigned from the Party, many citing antisemitism, whereas in December the issue again came to the fore during the general election campaign.
Despite offline antisemitism decreasing in some areas, assaults against Jews returned to previous high levels in 2019, with 157 incidents reported.In 2018, CST recorded 123 antisemitic assaults.
The report also revealed that Jewish students were targeted more frequently in 2019 than in 2018, with 40 incidents compared to 25, of which roughly half were on-campus.
Reacting to the CST’s report, Home Secretary Priti Patel MP said: “It’s appalling that we have seen another increase of sickening abuse against the Jewish community. We need to do much more to tackle antisemitism and the intolerance this creates across society”.
She underlined: “I am pushing for greater collaboration, both across government, policing, the courts and community groups, to remove this shameful stain on our society”.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: “Who could have imagined that 75 years after the end of the Holocaust, antisemitism would be on the rise in the UK and across Europe. There is no place for antisemitism in our society. It is a scourge on us all and the record high number of recorded incidents in 2019 is completely unacceptable”.
He added: “This Government stands with CST – together we are committed to working with the Jewish community to stamp out anti-Jewish hatred and prejudice. Educating future generations about antisemitism is crucial. Our new funding to tackle antisemitism on campus and plans to combat Online Harms by targeting the appalling rise in antisemitic social media incidents, form a vital part of our commitment to root it out of our society”.
Click here to read the CST’s report in full.
