Religious hate crime in England and Wales surged by a record 25 percent over the past year, driven by an increase since the onset of the Gaza war, according to government data released on Thursday and reported by AFP.
The highest annual tally of religious hate crimes in over a decade was attributed to a rise in offenses "against Jewish people and to a lesser extent Muslims" following the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, the interior ministry reported.
In total, there were 140,561 hate crimes recorded by the police in the year leading up to March. These offenses are defined as those targeting a person's race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender identity.
Of these, 98,799 incidents, or 70 percent, were racially motivated.
Both the overall number of hate crimes and those motivated by race decreased by five percent compared to the previous year, but religious hate crimes saw a significant rise, increasing from 8,370 in 2022-23 to nearly 10,500—the highest since data collection began in 2012, according to AFP.
Hate crimes against Jewish people more than doubled, reaching 3,282 cases, while offenses against Muslims also climbed to 3,866.
"The appalling levels of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crimes outlined in today's figures are a stain on our society," said interior minister Yvette Cooper.
She pledged to combat "this toxic hatred wherever it is found," and added, "We must not allow events unfolding in the Middle East to play out in increased hatred and tension here on our streets. Those who push this poison—offline or online—must face the full force of the law."
The data was released days after protesters carrying banners in support of Hezbollah marched through central London.
Among the crowd were several demonstrators holding placards and banners expressing support for the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which has launched repeated attacks on Israel in the past year.
One placard on display in the London march showed a silhouette of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was eliminated by Israel in a strike in Beirut last week, with the words “We will not abandon Palestine.”
Others declared, “Hezbollah are not terrorists” and “I love Hezbollah”.
Incidents of antisemitism in Britain in recent months include one which occurred in May, when a woman carrying a large knife was arrested in Stamford Hill, north London.
The woman allegedly told a Jewish man that he is a "provocation" before adding, "You people, you Jewish...all the trouble you’re creating in the world."
A month earlier, a Jewish man was attacked by four men in Stamford Hill. According to the Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish civilian watch organization, the four individuals approached the Jewish man, threatened him, and demanded he get into the trunk of their car.
Days earlier, two men were arrested at a pro-Palestinian Arab march in London. One of the men was taken into custody for carrying a swastika emblazoned placard and another for allegedly making racist remarks towards counter-protesters, the Metropolitan Police said.