Be strong against those who hate and envy us

A record number of nearly 1,400 anti-Semitic incidents (most of them racist hate crime) were reported to CST’s London and Manchester offices last year.

The reports came from members of the public, security personnel and police forces across the UK, but this record high is a serious underestimate.

Crime surveys suggest that more than 70 percent of such incidents go unreported to anyone, whether police or CST.

Taken alone, the figures have somewhat limited use. To make them meaningful, we must compare like with like.

Doing this, and considering changes in reporting rates (owing to factors such as publicity, public mood, police and CST resources),
we see that during most of 2016 and 2017, incident levels were about twice as bad as during any similar length of time in the previous decade.

The monthly incidents rate shows this best. From April 2016 to October 2017, CST recorded more than 100 incidents every month,
19 months in a row.

In the 10 years before April 2016, we only passed that 100 figure six times.

And we must note, unlike previous record highs, this was not because of a brief external event, such as Israel being at war.

It is because of British events, such as Brexit and Labour’s anti-Semitism controversies: both of which excite racists and Jew-haters.

In all of this doom and gloom, we have to remember the context. Look at all the positive and open aspects of British Jewish life today, compared with even 20 years ago.

This is not a cliché; it is there in our high streets, in our schools, our cultural centres and so much else.

That is the Jewish life that CST and its partners are committed to protecting and helping to flourish.

So, be proud of what we have built, and stand up strong against those who hate and envy us.

About the Author
Mark is Director of Communications, Community Security Trust (CST)
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