The full extent of the sickening surge in vile anti-Semitic hate against Jewish communities and their people in Greater Manchester was revealed by a charity today - with 555 incidents recorded across the city region last year.
The Community Security Trust, which works to protect Britain's Jews and monitor anti-Jewish crime, said the figure represents an alarming rise of 163 PER CENT from the 211 cases recorded in 2022 - and is an unwanted record annual total. Greater Manchester is home to the UK's largest Jewish community outside Greater London, but the figures show reports here have increased more than they have in London percentage-wise.
Nationally, the charity said it recorded 4,103 anti-Jewish hate incidents in 2023, by far the highest annual total ever recorded and an increase of 147 per cent.
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The CST said the record total of antisemitism was 'due entirely' to the surge in incidents following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and described the scale of the increase as unprecedented. Two thirds of all incidents in 2023 occurred on or after October 7.
Today, Jewish leaders in Greater Manchester said incidents here were taking place in educational settings, workplaces, online and across society. The figures follow a huge march in the centre of Manchester which attracted thousands and was one of the city region's largest single gatherings of Jewish people and supporters ever.
Mark Adlestone, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and the Region, called on 'everyone in society' to stand up and call out antisemitism and racism. The chief executive of the CST, meanwhile, described the 'explosion in hatred' against the Jewish community as 'an absolute disgrace'.
In December, the CST said it received reports of a leaflet promoting halal cat food posted to homes in Greater Manchester containing anti-Semitic messaging.
Other examples from the charity highlighted by the Manchester Evening News include:
- Posters of Jewish hostages being torn down or defaced'.
- A Jewish school in Manchester receiving a phone call with a voice saying: "I tell you what, you better sort this f****** s*** out.
- People getting off a coach in Manchester heard to be shouting 'sieg heil'.
- The words 'Jews are s***' was written on the inside of a toilet door in a Manchester supermarket.
- Children from another school passing a Jewish school in Manchester and shouting 'yids' at Jewish children leaving the premises.
- At a Manchester university, the words 'kill Jews' was written on a Freedom for Palestine poster.
- Lit fireworks thrown towards Jewish girls in Manchester.
The charity said the week following October 7 saw 416 anti-Semitic incidents reported, which it said was higher than for any subsequent week.
Its report said: "The speed at which antisemites mobilised in the UK on and immediately after October 7 suggests that, initially at least, this increase in anti-Jewish hate was a celebration of the Hamas attack on Israel, rather than anger at Israel's military response in Gaza."
Of Greater Manchester's incidents, 169 were recorded in Bury, 167 in the city of Manchester, 121 in Salford, 25 in Stockport and 16 in Trafford, said the CST.
Nationally, the CST recorded 266 incidents of assault in 2023, an increase of nine per cent from the 136 assaults reported in 2022. There were 17 reported anti-Semitic assaults in Bury and 13 in Salford.
The CST reported 182 instances of damage and desecration of Jewish property across the country in 2023, the most ever reported.
There were 87 anti-Semitic incidents recorded at Jewish schools in 2023 nationally, compared to 20 in 2022. An additional 111 incidents, the charity said, involved Jewish schoolchildren away from school premises, often on their way to or from home.
The report said: "Within Greater Manchester's data, 12 of the recorded incidents happened on property under the jurisdiction of British Transport Police. An additional 17 were online incidents where either the victim or offender is known to be based in Manchester, but a more specific location could not be established.
"Not only have Greater London and Greater Manchester's figures increased from 2022, but so have their combined proportion of the national incident total, from 68 per cent in 2022 to 72 per cent in 2023."
There were also 106 incidents of 'abusive anti-Semitic language or gestures from passing vehicles' recorded in Greater Manchester.
In response to the report, Mr Adlestone said: "The Jewish community across Greater Manchester has always been and will remain strong, vibrant, confident and outward facing. However, it is impossible not to be deeply concerned by the huge numbers of incidents targeting Jewish people across the country.
"It is now more important than ever that everyone in society stands up and calls out the record levels of racism currently being faced by Jewish people simply going about their daily lives. We are fortunate to have wonderful relationships with our elected representatives and Greater Manchester Police who have gone out of their way to provide support and reassurance during this period.
"As an organisation, the JRC will continue working alongside the Community Security Trust and communal partners to call out and combat this awful hatred."
Among its wide-ranging findings, the charity noted a 'worrying proportion of children perpetrating antisemitism', with almost a fifth of the 2,086 incidents recorded where the offender or offenders' approximate age was provided to the CST involving perpetrators thought to be under 18.
And the charity said that for the first time ever, it had recorded at least one anti-Semitic incident in every police region in the UK.
Home Secretary James Cleverly MP described the rise in antisemitism in recent months as 'utterly deplorable' and said he 'will do everything in my power' to ensure the Jewish community is safe and feels safe.
Labour's Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said the rise was 'appalling and intolerable' and a 'stain on our society'. She said: "There must be zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism in Britain and those who proliferate that poison on the streets and online must face the full force of the law."
CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner said: "British Jews are strong and resilient, but the explosion in hatred against our community is an absolute disgrace. It occurs in schools, universities, workplaces, on the streets and all over social media. Our community is being harassed, intimidated, threatened and attacked by extremists who also oppose society as whole.
"We thank the Government and police for their support, but this is a challenge for everyone and we condemn the stony silence from those sections of society that eagerly call out racism in every other case, except when it comes to Jew hate."
