British Jews facing most ‘hatred' in decades amid hundreds of attacks

Independent

12-02-2025

More than 3,500 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the UK in 2024, and the chief executive of a charity is warning that the Jewish community is facing more hatred than it has in decades.
The figures were collated by the Community Security Trust, a charity that documents antisemitism across the country.
It was the second-highest annual total since the charity's records began in 1984.
Only 2023, with its record 4,296 antisemitic incidents, had a higher total. That tally came after the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, and subsequent military action by Israeli troops.
The trust's chief executive Mark Gardner said that 2024 was a year of 'sustained levels of antisemitism ', as the conflict in Gaza continued and pro-Palestine demonstrations were held across the UK.
The charity recorded more than 200 incidents in each month except December. Before October 2023 there had only been five separate months when this number was recorded, each time when Israel had been at war.
The incidents recorded in 2024 included 201 assaults — one of which was classed by the CST as extreme violence — and 157 instances of damage or desecration of Jewish property, including 37 involving posters or memorials for victims of the 7 October Hamas attack.
There were 250 direct threats to people or property, 2,892 cases of abusive behaviour, 27 involving mass-produced antisemitic literature, and 223 where synagogues and their congregants were targeted.
The trust recorded 1,240 online antisemitic incidents in 2024, 260 school-related cases, and 145 linked to students and universities.
'CST is proud to have given strength and support to British Jews at a time when our community is facing more hatred and pressure than it has for many decades,' Gardner said.
'We welcome the defiance and pride that our community has shown, despite everything it has been through.
'Those who are complicit in this antisemitism range from social media giants to the Islamist and far left extremists who celebrated the Hamas terror attacks.
'These hatreds are compounded by the stony silence with which Jewish concerns are met in far too many places of work, education and culture. It leaves Jews feeling ever more isolated and worried for the future.'
There were 1,847 antisemitic incidents recorded by the CST in Greater London, a drop of 24 per cent from 2023, and 480 cases in Greater Manchester, a decrease of 13 per cent compared to the previous year but still the second highest annual total for both areas.
Outside these cities, the police areas with the highest number of reports were West Yorkshire with 184, Hertfordshire with 117, Scotland with 74, Thames Valley with 65 and West Midlands with 63.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Antisemitism has no place in this country – not now and not ever. This report shows that antisemitic incidents in Britain remain unacceptably high, andwe must redouble our efforts to root out the poison of antisemitism wherever it is found.'
She said the Home Office had committed to providing the Jewish Community Protective Grant, that is administered by the CST, with £18 million per year.
The government's adviser on antisemitism, Lord Mann, said the report 'should serve as a stark reminder to the country that antisemitism is still a pervasive scourge affecting all areas of our society'.