Police in London logged a record number of religious hate crimes following the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict last year, reports Andrew Dowdeswell, Data Reporter

Police in London logged a record number of religious hate crimes following the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict last year, new figures show.

It comes as England and Wales saw a dramatic rise in religious hate crime offences.

This was largely driven by significant increases in hate crimes targeted at Jewish and Muslim people following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7 last year.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper lambasted the “appalling levels” of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes, and said the Government will “work tirelessly to tackle this toxic hatred”.

The Community Security Trust said the rise in “anti-Jewish hatred is shameful”, and was surprised by the scale and speed at which antisemitism has increased due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Home Office figures show the Met Police recorded 3,766 religious hate crime offences in the year to March – up significantly from 1,989 the year before, and the highest number since comparable records began in 2011-12.

This represented an 89% rise in the last year.

Nationally, religious hate crime offences rose by 25% to a record 10,484 reported incidents. They have risen steadily over the last decade, with just 2,264 recorded in 2023-14.

The soaring figures were driven by significant increases in hate crimes targeted at Jewish and Muslim people.

Jewish-targeted hate crime offences more than doubled to 3,282, while offences against Muslims rose 13%. They respectively accounted for a third and almost two-fifths of all religious hate crime offences.

A spokesperson for the CST said: “When the October 7 attack happened, we knew immediately that there would be a rise in antisemitism, but the scale and the speed took us by surprise. The fact that it began that day showed that this was being driven by anti-Jewish hatred more than anything else.

“Since then, antisemitism has spilled over into sectors where we don’t normally see it, including hospitals and workplaces, and it has had a profound impact on the way that Jewish people are feeling.

“Discrimination in any form should not be tolerated and we stand against any form of racism.”

Some 31 police forces provided month-by-month data. It showed antisemitic hate crime peaked in October 2023 with 577 offences, while October to March saw more than triple the number of offences as between April 2023 and September 2023.

Islamophobic hate crime peaked in November with 362 offences, while monitoring group Tell Mama said it had recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hate and discrimination across the UK in the year since the October 7 attacks, the highest total it had noted in more than a decade.

Ms Cooper said: “The appalling levels of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes outlined in today’s figures are a stain on our society, and this Government will work tirelessly to tackle this toxic hatred wherever it is found.

“We must not allow events unfolding in the Middle East to play out in increased hatred and tension here on our streets, and those who push this poison – offline or online – must face the full force of the law.”

She added: “We must have zero tolerance for antisemitism, Islamophobia and every other form of heinous hate in Britain, and we back the police in taking strong action against those targeting our communities.”

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