Police-recorded religious hate crime up by 25% after Israel-Hamas conflict

Police-recorded spiritual hatred transgression successful England and Wales was up by a 4th implicit the past year, driven by a emergence successful offences against Jews and Muslims since the opening of the Israel-Hamas conflict, authoritative figures show.

Hate crimes targeted astatine Jewish radical much than doubled portion incidents against Muslims were up 13% connected the erstwhile 12 months, according to Home Office data.

There were a full of 10,484 spiritual hatred transgression offences recorded by constabulary successful the twelvemonth to March, up 25% from 8,370 the erstwhile year.

The section said this is the highest yearly number successful these offences since the hatred transgression postulation began successful the twelvemonth ending March 2012.

Publishing the statistic connected Thursday, the Home Office said the 25% summation “was driven by a emergence successful hatred crimes against Jewish radical and to a lesser grade Muslims and has occurred since the opening of the Israel-Hamas conflict”.

In the 12 months to March 2024 determination were 3,282 spiritual hatred crimes targeted astatine Jewish people, which was much than treble the 1,543 recorded the erstwhile year.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the emergence arsenic “appalling” and a “stain connected our society” arsenic she backed constabulary to instrumentality “strong enactment against those targeting our communities”.

Offences against Jewish radical accounted for a 3rd (33%) of each spiritual hatred crimes successful the past year, up from a 5th the erstwhile year.

There were 3,866 spiritual hatred crimes targeted against Muslims successful the latest year, up 13% from 3,432 recorded the erstwhile year.

This Government volition enactment tirelessly to tackle this toxic hatred wherever it is found

Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary

Such crimes against Muslims accounted for astir 2 successful 5 (38%) of each spiritual hatred crimes successful that period.

Offences spiked instantly aft the Hamas attacks against Israel connected October 7 2023, and the astir communal hatred crimes targeted against radical from the 2 faiths were nationalist fear, alarm oregon distress offences.

More caller figures, recorded by assemblage organisations alternatively than police, person shown grounds highs successful antisemitism and Islamophobia up to the extremity of September.

Jewish foundation the Community Security Trust (CST) said the 5,583 incidents recorded crossed the UK betwixt October 7 2023 and September 30 is the highest full of immoderate 12-month play and was 3 times that of the erstwhile 12-month period, which saw 1,830 incidents recorded.

Tell Mama said it had recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hatred and favoritism crossed the UK successful the twelvemonth since the October 7 attacks, the highest full it had noted successful much than a decade.

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

“We indispensable not let events unfolding successful the Middle East to play retired successful accrued hatred and hostility present connected our streets, and those who propulsion this poison – offline oregon online – indispensable look the afloat unit of the law.

“The much than doubling of reported antisemitic hatred transgression and the important summation successful Islamophobic hatred transgression are precise serious.

“We indispensable person zero tolerance for antisemitism, Islamophobia and each different signifier of heinous hatred successful Britain, and we backmost the constabulary successful taking beardown enactment against those targeting our communities.”

Meanwhile, the latest Home Office figures showed falls successful different types of police-recorded hatred transgression successful England and Wales.

Such crimes against radical based connected their intersexual predisposition fell by 8%, to 22,839, successful the twelvemonth to March, from 24,777 successful the erstwhile 12 months.

Disability hatred crimes were down by astir a 5th (18%), to 11,719 from 14,285, portion hatred crimes against transgender radical were down by 2% to 4,780 from 4,889.

Race hatred crimes inactive accounted for the bulk of police-recorded hatred crimes, arsenic with erstwhile years.

There were 98,799 offences successful the twelvemonth to March, down 5% from the erstwhile twelvemonth erstwhile determination were 103,625 specified crimes recorded by police.

Race hatred transgression offences peaked astatine 109,843 offences successful the twelvemonth ending March 2022, with the latest fig representing a autumn of 10% from that high, the Home Office said.