Attacks on British Jews 'reach record levels'

Attacks on Jews in the UK rose to record levels last year, a new report revealed today.

There were 594 anti-semitic incidents in Britain in 2006, up 31% from 2005, according to the Community Security Trust (CST).

More than one-fifth of the race hate incidents took place during the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon in July and August.

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

The total included 112 violent assaults (up 37% on 2005), 70 incidents of damage of 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 antisemitic 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 overseas.

The report notes that last year's increase was "largely a consequence" of the conflict in Lebanon, with a sharp rise in incidents recorded after the outbreak of war on July 12.

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.

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

The victims were Jewish individuals in 227 cases, of whom 121 were visibly identifiable as Jewish, the charity said.

Another 82 incidents targeted synagogues.

Apart from the Lebanon fighting, the report said other "less powerful" trigger events included the suspension of London mayor Ken Livingstone for likening a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard - which was mentioned by the perpetrators of 11 antisemitic incidents.

Mr Livingstone's suspension was later quashed by the High Court.

The jailing in Austria of Holocaust denier David Irving was mentioned in five other incidents.

The CST received reports of a further 306 incidents which were ruled not to be antisemitic and were not included in the total.

Copyright Press Association 2007.