Anti-semitic hate incidents in Britain rise by 30%, a record high

A total of 80 incidents involved physical attacks but the highest number was verbal abuse at visibly Jewish people in public places.

Anti-semitic hate incidents in Britain rose by 30% to a record high of 767 in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year, a Jewish community group said on Thursday.

Vandalised headstones at a Jewish cemetery in Blackley, Manchester in Britain, on May 19, 2016. (Reuters File)

The Community Security Trust said 80 of the incidents involved physical attacks but the highest number was verbal abuse at visibly Jewish people in public places.

“Anti-semitism is having an increasing impact on the lives of British Jews and the hatred and anger that lies behind it is spreading,” David Delew, head of the Community Security Trust (CST), said in a statement.

The trust said 51 of the incidents were linked to damage or desecration of Jewish property. Most of the incidents were concentrated in London and Manchester, the country’s two biggest Jewish communities.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said in a statement that the rise in incidents could be due to better reporting but added that “one such incident is one too many”.