‘Worst year on record’ for anti-Semitism, claims grassroots survey
A grassroots group has challenged community leaders’ interpretation of falling anti-Semitism, saying incidents surged by almost 18 percent in the past year.
Activists from Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said they collated data from “every police force in the UK” and that found that 2015 was “the worst year on record”.
It flatly contradicts the message given by the Community Security Trust (CST), which said this week that incidents of anti-Semitism had fallen by more than 20 percent since 2014, making it only the third worst year on record.
MORE: Latest CST report shows anti-Semitism has fallen 22 percent
The CAA says it submitted 50 Freedom of Information requests and that it will release its full audit later this month, but that anti-Semitic crime had “surged” while violent anti-Semitic crime had “soared” by more than 20 percent.
“Not all police forces are measuring anti-Jewish hate crime uniformly,” said a CAA spokesman. “At least 10 police forces appear not to be flagging anti-Semitic crimes separately and while relatively few Jews live in the areas they cover, it is extremely worrying that they have fallen short of data-gathering agreements.”
The CST has close working relationships with police forces in Greater London and Greater Manchester, home to the country’s two biggest Jewish communities.
Responding to the CST report, issued on Thursday, Metropolitan Police Commander Mak Chishty said: “The Met is committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms and we have long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities. Victims of hate crime must be assured that they will be taken seriously by the police.
“We are acutely aware that all areas of hate crime are still under reported and we are encouraged that more people feel confident to report racial and religious hate crimes, regardless if this is direct to police or via a third party or online.”
He added: “We will not tolerate hate crime and no one should suffer in silence. We urge people to report hate crime to us as soon as possible so we can act. We have more than 900 specialist officers across London working in our dedicated Community Safety Units (one in each of London’s 32 boroughs) which are dedicated to investigating hate crime.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
