LONDON (EJP)---A new report by the Community Securit Trust (CST) shows that recorded anti-Semitic incidents in the U.K. were up 53 percent in the first half of 2015 as compared to the corresponding period of 2014.
CST, a charity that monitors anti-Semitism and provides security for the Jewish community in Britain, recorded 473 antisemitic incidents from January to June 2015.
Among the incidents, 44 were violent anti-Semitic assaults, two of which were classified as ‘Extreme Violence’, meaning that they involved grievous bodily harm or a threat to life. 35 were incidents of damage and desecration of Jewish property, 36 direct antisemitic threat, five cases of mass-mailed anti-Semitic leaflets or emails and 353 incidents of abusive behaviour, including verbal abuse, antisemitic graffiti, antisemitic abuse via social media and one-off cases of hate-mail.
CST recorded 309 antisemitic incidents during the first six months of 2014, which was itself an increase of 38 per cent from the 223 antisemitic incidents recorded during the first six months of 2013.
In addition to the 473 anti-Semitic incidents recorded during the first six months of 2015, a further 333 reports were received by CST, but were not deemed to be antisemitic and are not included in this total.
But according to CST, the 53 per cent rise in the first half of 2015 ‘’is most likely to reflect more reporting of incidents, rather than a significant increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents taking place.’’
‘’This increase in reporting is believed to be due to heightened concern within the British Jewish community following terrorist attacks against the Jewish communities of Paris and Copenhagen earlier this year,’’ said CST.
CST Chief Executive David Delew commented the report : “The terrorist attacks on European Jews earlier this year, following the high levels of anti-Semitism in 2014, were a difficult and unsettling experience for our Jewish community. We welcome the apparent increase in reporting of anti-Semitic incidents but regret the concern and anxiety about anti-Semitism that this reflects. We will continue to work with the Police, government and other partners to reduce antisemitism and to protect our Jewish community.”
January saw 106 anti-Semitic incidents reported to CST, the sixth-highest monthly total since CST began recording anti-Semitic incidents.
There were 178 incidents in which the victims were random Jewish individuals in public. In at least 66 of these incidents, the victims were visibly identifiable as Jewish due to religious or traditional clothing, Jewish school uniforms or jewellery bearing religious symbols. This combination of random, spontaneous anti-Semitic abuse directed at visibly Jewish people in public was the most common single type of anti-Semitic incident recorded during the first six months of 2015.
CST recorded 88 anti-Semitic incidents that involved the use of social media to transmit anti-Semitic threats or abuse, compared to 55 such incidents in the first half of 2014. CST said it is committed to working with social media companies to find ways to reduce the impact of online hate.
A recent similar report in France showed a 84% increase in anti-Semitic acts from January to May 2015.
The numbers of anti-Semitic acts (violent actions and threats) recognized by the French Interior and the Service for the protection of the Jewish community (SPCJ° was of 508 From January, the 1st to May, 31 2015.
Moreover, amongst these acts, the number of violent actions (121) continued to worsen, + 59% from January to May 2015 compared to the same period of 2014, same period. Threats (387) are still massive with a very strong increase of 94%, compared to 2014.
These figures represent only the acts which have been reported to the police or filed as complaints and reflects only a part of the anti-Semitism on the ground.
‘’Nothing seems to stop the dramatic increase in anti-Semitism in France that reached appalling heights,’’ said CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish organisations.