The number of antisemitic incidents recorded by a charity in the UK have hit an all-time high, at almost double its previous record, as it described the numbers as “an absolute disgrace”.
The Community Security Trust said more than 4,000 incidents were recorded last year, with the rise being put down to the “sheer volume” which took place following the Hamas attacks of 7 October.
“This figure alone exceeds any previous annual antisemitic incident total recorded by CST, and marks a rise of 589% from the 392 instances of antisemitism reported to CST over the same time period in 2022,” the charity, which monitors antisemitism, said.
Home Secretary James Cleverly MP described the rise in antisemitism in recent months as “utterly deplorable” and said he “will do everything in my power” to ensure the Jewish community is safe and feels safe.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said the rise was “appalling and intolerable” and a “stain on our society”.
The charity said there were a total of 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023, up from the previous annual record of 2,261 incidents which had been reported two years previously.
Its report, published on Thursday, stated: “This record total is due to the sheer volume of antisemitism perpetrated across the UK following Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
“Of the 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish hate reported, 2,699 (66%) occurred on or after 7 October.”
Some of the incidents included “Free Palestine” graffiti being sprayed on a bridge in Golders Green, which is home to one of London’s largest Jewish communities; the defacing with swastikas of a poster in London of a baby kidnapped by Hamas; and a visibly Jewish man being verbally abused and threatened by people who were attending a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
The charity also said that it had, for the first time ever, recorded at least one antisemitic incident in every single police region in the UK across 2023.
Among its wide-ranging findings, the charity noted a “worrying proportion of children perpetrating antisemitism”, with almost a fifth of the 2,086nincidents recorded where the offender or offenders’ approximate age was provided to CST involving perpetrators thought to be under 18.
The CST said a further 2,185 reports of potential incidents were received by CST in 2023 but were not deemed to be antisemitic – instead involving anti-Israel activity rather than anti-Jewish language, motivation or targeting – so were not included in the 2023 total.
CST chief executive Mark Gardner said: “British Jews are strong and resilient, but the explosion in hatred against our community is an absolute disgrace.
“It occurs in schools, universities, workplaces, on the streets and all over social media.”
The Government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord Mann said the report’s figures are a “reminder to British civil society of the serious nature of antisemitism and the impact that it has on the Jewish community”.
He added: “This country will not tolerate the abuse or intimation of any of its citizens and I will continue to make sure that it remains a safe place for our Jewish community.”
