A record number of anti-Semitic acts have been committed in the United Kingdom in 2023, in connection with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
The Community Security Trust, which records this type of incident and ensures the security of schools or places of worship for the Jewish community in the United Kingdom, recorded 4,103 anti-Semitic acts in 2023, almost double the previous record recorded in 2021, and an increase of 147% compared to 2022.
This level is
“due entirely to the increase in incidents after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and the scale of the increase is unprecedented
,” underlines the CST.
Two thirds of these events occurred after the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement against Israel, which left 1,160 dead.
The military operation carried out by Israel in retaliation in the Gaza Strip left 28,576 dead, according to Hamas.
“It’s a challenge for everyone”
“British Jews are strong and resilient, but the explosion of hatred against our community is an absolute disgrace
,” denounced CST executive director Mark Gardner.
“It occurs in schools, universities, workplaces, in the streets and everywhere on social networks
,” he added in a press release.
“Our community is being harassed, intimidated, threatened and attacked by extremists
,” he continued,
“this is a challenge for everyone and we condemn the stony silence of those sections of society who ardently denounce the racism in all other cases, except hatred towards Jews
.
Quoted in the press release, Interior Minister James Clervely describes the increase in anti-Semitic acts as
“truly deplorable”
, promising to do
“everything in
(his)
power”
on the issue.
At the end of October, London police chief Mark Rowley reported a 14-fold increase in anti-Semitic acts and a nearly three-fold increase in anti-Muslim acts.
Last December, the Tell MAMA association, which records anti-Muslim incidents, reported a seven-fold increase in their number between October 7 and December 13, with 1,432 acts, compared to 195 over the same period of the year. former.
This is the largest increase ever recorded by the association in such a period of time.