Antisemitic hate crimes nearly doubled in England in 2018

The data from a Home Office report published this week lists 1,326 antisemitic incidents in 2018.

By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ/JTA
A Jewish man walks with young Jewish boys in Golders Green, London, January 10 , 2015. The Community Security Trust (CST), which provides security advice to Britain's estimated 260,000 Jews, said police in London and Manchester in northern England had agreed to increase patrols at synagogues and oth (photo credit: PAUL HACKETT/REUTERS)
A Jewish man walks with young Jewish boys in Golders Green, London, January 10 , 2015. The Community Security Trust (CST), which provides security advice to Britain's estimated 260,000 Jews, said police in London and Manchester in northern England had agreed to increase patrols at synagogues and oth
(photo credit: PAUL HACKETT/REUTERS)
The number of religion-based hate crimes against Jews in England and Wales nearly doubled last year, according to a government report.
The data from a Home Office report published this week lists 1,326 antisemitic incidents in 2018, or 18 percent of the overall number of hate crimes — almost twice as many as the 672 anti-Semitic incidents recorded in the previous year.
The overall number of religion-oriented hate crimes rose by 31%, to 7,446 from 5,680, the Hate Crime, England and Wales, 2018-19 report shows. The proportion of anti-Semitic attacks also climbed 12 percent from 2017.
Muslims were the most targeted group in both years: The overall number of anti-Muslim attacks rose to 3,530 from 2,965, though the proportion dropped to 47 percent from 52 percent.
After Muslims, Jews were the most-often targeted group in both years.
The Home Office classifies hate crimes against Muslims and Jews as being based on their religion rather than ethnicity.
Muslims account for about 5 percent of the population in the United Kingdom, according to the Office for National Statistics, while Jews constitute about half a percent.
In both years, the combined number of attacks on Christians, Sikhs and Hindus was smaller than the tally of anti-Semitic attacks.
The report includes other forms of hate crimes, including those based on race and sexual orientation. The total number of all hate crimes recorded in 2018 was 103,379, a 17 percent rise over 2017.


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