Antisemitism Reaches Record High

On Thursday the Community Security Trust (CST) published shocking statistics on the number of cases of antisemitism that occurred in the first 6 months of 2024 in the UK. They had more than doubled compared to the same period in 2023, reaching a record high.

The 1,978 reported cases include: 121 assaults, 83 damages & desecrations, 142 threats and 1,618 incidents of abusive behaviour.

The appalling scale of the increase is shown in this chart by the CST. Yet many people in the UK seem to be more concerned about Islamophobia.

There were a further 1,493 potential incidents reported that the CST did not include in the statistics as they did not evidence antisemitic language, motivation or targeting. Many of them involved suspicious activity at Jewish locations.

The UK is not alone in experiencing a surge in antisemitism. Earlier this year, the Anti-Defamation League reported numerous incidents internationally, carried out by Hamas supporters and others opposed to the Jewish people.

It is within that context that Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, published a message of encouragement to the international Jewish community today, saying:

"The State of Israel is blessed with many resources, most importantly incredible human resources."

as well as:

"We have strong and enduring alliances that are committed to protecting not only Israel but the rules-based world order we are fighting for."