Almost a dozen anti-Semitic incidents in Dorset

Figures released by the Community Security Trust revealed a 34 per cent increase in anti-Semitic incidents last year nationally which they say shows how difficult the past 12 months was for Jewish people in Britain.

In Dorset, 10 anti-Semitic incidents towards Jewish people, organisations or property were reported to the CST between 2019 and 2021 – including four last year.

Over the three-year period, there were seven incidents of abusive behaviour and one assault.

There was also one verbal or written threat and one report of damage or desecration to Jewish property.

The charity defines an incident as any malicious act which has anti-Semitic motivation or content, or the targeting of a victim because they are – or are believed to be – Jewish.

The CST said a record 2,255 such incidents occurred across the UK in 2021 – up 34 per cent from 1,684 the previous year.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It is truly appalling that incidents of anti-Jewish hate have now reached record levels – and for this to be increasing shows just how far we have to go to remove the stain of anti-Semitism from our society.

“We need urgent action to tackle these vile incidents wherever they arise, be it in schools, on our streets or online.”

Reports peaked during a time of heightened conflict between Israel and Palestine, with 661 in May alone – a record monthly total.

There were 502 incidents that used far right or Nazi themes, including 90 where the Holocaust was celebrated.

Meanwhile, 182 hate incidents happened at schools or involved school pupils or staff last year – up from 54 in 2020, and the most ever.

Mark Gardner, CST chief executive, said: “Record levels of anti-Jewish racism, reported by our Jewish community to CST and police, show how difficult last year was for Jews across Britain."

He said such hatred can grow over time, with perpetrators of these attacks taking any excuse to abuse Jews publicly.

Mr Gardner added: "This is exactly what happened during and after the Israel-Gaza war of May 2021, from schools and universities, through to the carloads of people who repeatedly drove to Jewish areas and yelled vile abuse at anyone who looked Jewish.”

Superintendent Gemma Morris, of Dorset Police, said: “Dorset Police takes every report of crime seriously, especially hate crimes, which receive a heightened level of supervision and scrutiny.

“As a police force we are committed to supporting victims of crime and bringing offenders to justice. We work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure offenders who are prosecuted for a hate crime receive an increased sentence, in line with the legislation.

“From the Crime Survey for England and Wales we are conscious of hate crime being under-reported and we are focused on reducing the gap between the survey and reported crime by building trust and confidence with our communities and by ensuring that reporting methods are widely known.

“We will continue to engage with the Jewish communities in Dorset to ensure we understand any concerns and encourage reports of hate crime to the police.

“Dorset Police and third-party reporting centres have used awareness campaigns to make it clear that hate crimes will not be tolerated and to report matters to the police. An example of one of the campaigns can be found here: https://youtu.be/nvTq2O04Aqs.

“The message is very clear, hate crimes are not tolerated in our communities. If you are a victim or witness of a hate crime or incident, please report it to Dorset Police online at dorset.police.uk/do-it-online and click on the ‘Report a hate crime’ button. Alternatively, if you wish to speak to someone, call 101. In an emergency always dial 999.”