Record Number of Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Plagues Jewish Londoners in 2023

Edited by: Fern Sidman

London has become the epicenter of a disturbing rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes, with a torrent of incidents plaguing the city throughout the year, as was recently report on The Algemeiner.com web site. The situation has escalated to unprecedented levels, exacerbated by the aftermath of the October 7th massacre in southern Israel carried out by Hamas terrorists. Over 1200 Israelis and others were brutally murdered and 240 people were taken captive by Hamas.

Antisemitic hate crimes in London on pace to exceed last year’s before Oct. 7, which led to a global surge in antisemitism. Btwn Jan & Sept, the Metropolitan Police recorded 487 incidents. In Oct & Nov, police record a staggering 955 hate crimes targeting Jews. pic.twitter.com/1MnMR8ddpi

— Rita Rosenfeld (@rheytah) December 20, 2023

According to a comprehensive review of Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) data by The Algemeiner, anti-Semitic offenses in London have surged by a staggering 162 percent in 2023 through November. The recorded 1,442 incidents have already eclipsed the full-year totals of 550 in 2022 and 845 in 2021, The Algemeiner.com reported. This troubling trend is part of a broader escalation since the MPS started publicly documenting anti-Jewish offenses in 2018.

‘You F—king Jew, I Will Kill You!’ Antisemitic Hate Crimes Surge in London, Reach Record High – Algemeiner https://t.co/v7FAAoSAQU

— London England agent (@Londonengland_a) December 20, 2023

Anti-Semitic hate crimes were already on an upward trajectory before the October 7th Hamas massacre, with 487 incidents recorded between January and September. The Algemeiner.com report indicated that the situation took a dire turn in October and November, as was evidenced in a shocking 955 hate crimes targeting Jews, twice as many as the first three-fourths of the year combined.

Under Sadiq Khan & Labour, tube crime in London has soared.

We need to see:

👮🏿‍♀️👮🏼‍♂️ More visible British Transport Police
📹 Better and more widespread CCTV on the network
🚨 A public awareness campaign
👩🏼‍⚖️👨🏾‍⚖️ High profile prosecutions for hate crimes pic.twitter.com/bXEQlPCob1

— Caroline Pidgeon AM🔶 🇺🇦 (@CarolinePidgeon) December 16, 2023

The Orthodox Jewish community in the Stamford Hill section of London has borne the brunt of these hate crimes, as this section of London is home to a large number of Orthodox and Chassidic Jews, the Algeminer.com reported.  As such, their ritual garb makes them identifiably Jewish and subject to assault and harassment by haters of all stripes.  Incidents reported by Shomrim, a Jewish organization monitoring anti-Semitism and functioning as a neighborhood watch group, reveal a distressing pattern. An Orthodox Jewish man was assaulted by a cyclist on the sidewalk, two attackers brutally mauled a Jewish woman, and a group of Jewish children faced verbal abuse with threats of violence, the Algemeiner.com report added. The children were berated by a woman who screamed “I’ll kill all of you Jews. You are murderers!” A similar incident occurred when a man confronted a Jewish shopper and shouted, “You f—king Jew, I will kill you!”

How very Nazi-like

Thanks for the hate crimes London! @SadiqKhan @metpoliceuk https://t.co/JlaB39lsvf

— Dr Ellie (@Dr_Ellie) December 14, 2023

The anti-Semitic attacks have targeted both individuals and communal properties in recent weeks. The Algemeiner.com also reported that just days after the October 7th massacre, two Jewish primary schools in Stamford Hill were vandalized and doused with red paint, symbolizing the disturbing intensity of the virulent anti-Semitism that has gripped Britain’s capital.

Reports indicate that Jewish Londoners have been grappling with a wave of anti-Semitic crimes for the past two years. As was indicated in the Algemeiner.com report, incidents include a stranger threatening to kill a Jewish woman, the defacement and theft of a Jewish family’s mezuzah, as well as verbal abuse and spitting on a Jewish mother and her infant, leaving the mother traumatized.

In response to the surge in anti-Semitic hate crimes, Jewish Londoners and their allies have demonstrated solidarity. As per the Algemeiner.com report, last month, tens of thousands of people marched through London in protest, carrying signs with messages such as “Shoulder to shoulder with British Jews” and “Zero tolerance for anti-Semites.”

In his speech to open parliament in November, Britain’s King Charles III said that the UK government is “committed to tackling anti-Semitism.” He also promised that planning for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center in Victoria Tower Gardens will be moved through parliament.