‘Deep concern’ as anti-Semitic crime almost doubles

Antisemitic graffiti: swastikas, daubed on the sign of Jubilee Primary School in December 2014. Photograph: @ShomrimOfficial

Antisemitic crime has risen by a staggering  87 per cent in Hackney over the last year, new figures from the Metropolitan Police show.

In the year to November 2015, 122 incidents of such hate crime were reported, compared with 65 in the previous year.

The cases in Hackney, home to a large Jewish community residing in Stamford Hill, account for a quarter of all London’s antisemitic crime (483).

Over the past year in the borough far-right nationalists have rallied against the Shomrim Jewish patrol group, and a primary school found swastikas graffitied on its sign. 

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “2014 was the worst year on record for antisemitic hate crime in London and the UK as a whole. To see that rise again by almost 90% in 2015 in Hackney shows that the situation is deteriorating extremely rapidly.”

Although it is not clear whether the number or reporting of incidents has increased, it is a problem that must be tackled urgently, Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, President of the Shomrim in Stamford Hill, has urged.

“It is of deep concern, to note a steep rise of antisemitic hate crime in Hackney,” he said.

“Whilst this might be explained by some as being a result of better reporting, it still demonstrates the depth and persistence of this grave problem, which needs to be urgently and properly dealt with.”

Hackney Police Borough Commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Laurence: “All forms of hate crime are unacceptable and at Hackney we work hard to bring offenders to justice and support victims of this type of crime.

“With antisemitic crime we work in partnership with the Shomrim and the Jewish community to prevent, deter and detect crime. The Shomrim have played a huge part in alerting us of crimes and providing evidence to bring offenders to justice.”

Reports of anti-Muslim crime in Hackney have doubled from 17 to 35, and homophobic crimes have increased from 67 to 108.

Clarification: The caption has been changed to specify the name of school affected by antisemitic graffiti and the date.