The number of violent assaults on Jews in the UK reached record levels last year, new figures have shown – according to the Community Security Trust (CST).
CST recorded 547 antisemitic race hate incidents throughout the UK in 2007, the second highest total on record and an eight per cent fall from the previous year’s record high number of 594 attacks. The number of violent antisemitic assaults rose slightly to 114 incidents, the highest number since CST began recording antisemitic incidents in 1984.
The overall fall of eight per cent is largely due to the lack of ‘trigger events’ from the Middle East or elsewhere during 2007, which would normally lead to temporary rises, or ‘spikes’, in the number of antisemitic incidents. In 2006, the war between Israel and Hizbollah in Lebanon had led to the highest ever recorded number of antisemitic incidents in the UK. The decrease from 2006 does not alter the long-term trend of rising antisemitic incident levels since the late 1990s.
CST’s spokesman, Mark Gardner, said: “The fall in the number of antisemitic incidents is very welcome, but is less than we had hoped for. 2007 was still the second worst year on record and the worst ever for violent assaults. Over the past decade there has been a significant rise in the basic level of antisemitic incidents in our society, and it is affecting the lives of far too many British Jews.”
The 547 incidents included assaults, hate mail, antisemitic graffiti and verbal abuse. The victims were largely Jewish individuals and community organisations, especially synagogues. They were attacked regardless of their political or other views. The incidents were in the following categories:
114 ‘Assaults’ (up 2 per cent from 112 in 2006), of which one was categorised as ‘Extreme Violence’, meaning that the victim’s life was endangered
62 ‘Damage & Desecration’ of Jewish property (down 11 per cent from 2006)
24 ‘Threats’ (down 11 per cent from 2006)
328 ‘Abusive Behaviour’ (down 10 per cent from 2006)
19 mass produced antisemitic ‘Literature’ (down 5 per cent from 20 in 2006)
A further 488 potential incidents were reported to CST, but on investigation were not believed by CST to be antisemitic, and are not included in the total of 547 incidents.
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One Response
Nothing suprising in these statistics, incidents of antisemitism are increasing all over the world – it seems that hardly a day passes without YW reporting another story of swastika painting and grave desecration. In Britain alot of the blame must be laid at the door of the BBC which is infamous for it’s antisemitic reporting and notorious anti-Israel bias.