The Community Security Trust (CST) just published their annual report on antisemitic incidents which shows that “a record number of antisemitic hate incidents were recorded in the UK” in 2014. The 1,168 antisemitic incidents recorded during the year are more than double the incidents in the previous year, and represent the highest annual level of antisemitic hate that CST has ever recorded.
Here are some highlights from the report:
- There were 81 violent antisemitic assaults reported to CST in 2014, an increase of 17 per cent from the 69 antisemitic assaults recorded in 2013 and the highest number since 2011, when CST recorded 95 violent antisemitic assaults.
- The 81 violent antisemitic incidents included one incident categorised as Extreme Violence, meaning incidents that involved grievous bodily harm (GBH) or a threat to life. CST recorded no incidents of Extreme Violence in 2013 and two in 2012.
- There were 884 incidents of Abusive Behaviour recorded by CST in 2014, an increase of 136 per cent from the 374 incidents recorded in this category in 2013 and the highest total ever recorded in this category. This category includes verbal abuse, hate mail, antisemitic graffiti on non-Jewish property and antisemitic content on social media.
- 69 antisemitic incidents in 2014 targeted synagogues, and a further 41 incidents targeted synagogue congregants on their way to or from prayers, compared to 31 and 26 incidents respectively in 2013.
- 66 incidents targeted Jewish schools, schoolchildren or teachers in 2014, compared to 32 incidents relating to schools and schoolchildren in 2013. Of the 66 incidents of this type recorded in 2014, 27 affected Jewish schoolchildren on their journeys to or from school; 18 took place at the premises of Jewish faith schools; and 21 involved Jewish children or teachers at nonfaith schools.
- CST received a physical description of the incident offender in 340, or 29 per cent, of the 1,168 antisemitic incidents recorded during 2014. Of these, 148 offenders (44 per cent) were described as ‘White – North European’; 5 offenders (1 per cent) were described as ‘White – South European’; 26 offenders (8 per cent) were described as ‘Black’; 127 offenders (37 per cent) were described as ‘South Asian’; and 34 offenders (10 per cent) were described as ‘Arab or North African’. These proportions were significantly different for the months of July and August, during the conflict in Israel and Gaza: in these two months the proportion of offenders described to CST as ‘White – North European’ was 34 per cent; the proportion described as ‘Black’ was 5 per cent; the proportion described as ‘South Asian’ was 50 per cent; the proportion described as ‘Arab or North African’ was 12 per cent; and no offenders were described as ‘White – South European’.
Finally, the CST noted that antisemitic reactions to the war between Hamas and Israel over the summer was “the single biggest factor in the 2014 record high”. This specific correlation should be seen in the context of recent polling indicating that 84.4% of Jewish Britons believe that biased coverage of Israel by the UK media incites antisemitism in the country.
Those of you in Israel may wish to attend a CAMERA sponsored conference in Jerusalem on March 1st (Framing Israel, Framing Jews: Examining the Effects of UK Media Coverage of Israel on European Antisemitism) which addresses these specific concerns expressed by British Jews.
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(The full CST report can be downloaded here, and their Executive Summary can be read here.)
