January-June 2010 Antisemitic Incidents Report

CST has issued its antisemitic incidents report for January-June 2010 . 

The report (in pdf form) may be read in full here and reveals a mixed picture, with incident levels having fallen from 2009 but still higher than in most other years.  

The report shows that 310 antisemitic incidents were reported to CST in these first six months of 2010.

This was a welcome decline of 51% compared to the 628 incidents in the same period in 2009 (which had seen a record number of antisemitic incidents, mainly due to extreme reactions to the Gaza conflict at the beginning of that year).

Nevertheless, the 310 incidents amount to 12% more than the 277 incidents during the same period in 2008 and are also higher than in 2007, 2006 and 2005.

Analytically, there were 43 violent antisemitic assaults reported to CST in the first half of 2010, 45 incidents classified as Damage and Desecration of Jewish property and 201 incidents in the category of Abusive Behaviour, which includes verbal abuse, hate mail and antisemitic graffiti on non-Jewish property.

Geographically, of the 310 incidents, 122 were in Greater London and 89 were in Greater Manchester. The remaining 99 occurred in 36 different locations around the UK.

By comparison, in the first six months of 2009, there were 303 in Greater London and 143 in Greater Manchester; and in the first half of 2008, 120 in Greater London and 57 in Greater Manchester.

A further 168 potential incidents were reported to CST during the first half of 2010, but upon investigation were not deemed to be antisemitic and are not included in these totals.

CST thanks our many partners and friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish, for their continuing encouragement, co-operation, and assistance in our work.  

This photograph, below, taken in the Greater Manchester area, is on the cover of the report. It shows antisemitic graffiti that combines old and new hatreds: