War pushes UK anti-semitism to record high

Attacks on Jews in the UK rose to record levels last year, peaking during the Israel-Lebanon conflict over summer, a new report revealed today.

There were 594 anti-semitic incidents in Britain in 2006, up 31% from 2005, according to the Jewish community's defence organisation, the Community Security Trust (CST). The report notes that last year's increase was "largely a consequence" of the conflict in Lebanon, with more than a fifth of the incidents taking place during the 34-day war in July and August.

This is the highest level since the CST began collating anti-semitic incidents in 1984, and 12% more than the previous record in 2004.

The total included 112 violent assaults (up 37% on 2005), 70 attacks on Jewish property (up 46%), 365 incidents of abusive behaviour (up 34%) and 27 threats (up 8%). Jewish schools or schoolchildren were targeted in 59 of the incidents, and Jewish cemeteries were desecrated nine times.

The CST, which aims to ensure the security of Britain's Jewish community, also recorded 20 cases of mass-produced anti-semitic literature, down 26% from the previous year. It said the figures continued the trend since 2000 of high numbers of attacks occurring in association with events in the UK and abroad.

The CST spokesman, Mark Gardner, said: "Anti-semitic hate crime levels have doubled in the last 10 years. This is unacceptable racism that many Jews had hoped and believed was a thing of the past. Today's anti-semitism is a wave of hatred, intimidation and abuse against British Jews, who are stupidly blamed and randomly attacked over international tensions for which they bear no responsibility."

He added: "We call upon the police, government, political parties and democrats everywhere to act loudly and clearly against this hateful trend."

Guardian