There was a 76% rise in violent attacks against British Jews in 2021, revealed the annual report from the Community Security Trust (CST).
By Erin Viner
A total of 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents were reported in 2021, reflecting a 34% rise over the previous year. 176 of the attacks were violent.
The CST advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters.
“These record levels of anti-Jewish racism, reported by our Jewish community to CST and police, show how difficult last year was for Jews across Britain,” said CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner.
According to the report, there was a major surge of anger toward British Jews during the 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in Gaza last spring.
The highest monthly total of 661 anti-Semitic incidents occurred in May during Operation Guardian of the Walls, followed by another 210 in June. A third of all incidents involved disparaging language toward Jews or images related to issues in the Middle East or included an anti-Zionist motivation.
Anti-Jewish related crime included the conviction of one perpetrator who was jailed for founding a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people,” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
“These statistics are shocking and a stark reminder that the racism of anti-Semitism has not been eradicated,” stressed UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.