West Yorkshire sees highest number of anti-semitic crimes reported in country after London and Manchester, report reveals

Anti-semitic hate crimes are being reported in West Yorkshire more than anywhere else in the country outside of London and Greater Manchester, a new report has revealed.

Some 105 instances of anti-Semitism were recorded in the county in 2021, compared to 76 in 2020.

And Leeds was the city with the most instances recorded, with 59 incidents.

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The Community Security Trust (CST), which records incidents nationwide, said 2021 was the first time it recorded more than 2,000 incidents in a single year with a total figure 24 per cent higher than the previous record annual total of 1,813 incidents in 2019.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which records incidents nationwide, said 2021 was the first time it recorded more than 2,000 incidents in a single year with a total figure 24 per cent higher than the previous record annual total of 1,813 incidents in 2019.The Community Security Trust (CST), which records incidents nationwide, said 2021 was the first time it recorded more than 2,000 incidents in a single year with a total figure 24 per cent higher than the previous record annual total of 1,813 incidents in 2019.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which records incidents nationwide, said 2021 was the first time it recorded more than 2,000 incidents in a single year with a total figure 24 per cent higher than the previous record annual total of 1,813 incidents in 2019.

The charity also shared images of an anti-Semitic leaflet circulated in South Yorkshire which said “Say no to the Jew jab” and included racist drawings.

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Other examples of hate crime included graffiti with Nazi symbols, and people driving through Jewish communities and shouting about the Palestine conflict at passers-by, the charity said.

The escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza prompted a spike in anti-Semitism in May and June and a third of incidents across the whole year alluded or were related to Israel and the Middle East, CST said.

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Some 502 incidents used “Nazi-related discourse”, with some perpetrators expressing hopes of a second Holocaust.

Cases of anti-Semitism linked to a political party have dropped significantly since 2020, the charity found, but 30 instances still occurred in 2021, all linked to the Labour party.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said:

“All reports relating to hate crimes in West Yorkshire are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly in accordance with the victim’s wishes.

“The force, which is shown on the most recent CST report as the policing area with the third highest number of incidents reported in 2021, works with partners to raise awareness of hate crime, to increase the reporting of incidents and to provide support for victims. It has hate crime scrutiny panels, where members of the public and police officers review our response to hate crime and hate incidents. This feedback helps the force to provide a better response to victims of hate crime.

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“Hate crime co-ordinators across all our five policing districts assist with investigating offences to identify perpetrators and provide aftercare support for victims. There are also Hate Incident Reporting Centres, where people can report these matters, if they do not wish to speak directly with the police.”