Police-recorded antisemitic and Islamophobic offences on the rise in Lancashire

The number of antisemitic hate crimes recorded by many of the UK’s largest police forces jumped sharply in the weeks following the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel conflict, new figures reveal.

Islamophobic offences also rose for some forces, although the picture was more mixed across the country.

Jewish charities called the findings “shocking”, while campaigners against anti-Muslim abuse said the data was “deeply worrying”.

The Home Office condemned the rise in offences, adding: “There is no place for hate in our society.”

The figures have been obtained by the PA news agency using Freedom of Information requests.

What do the figures show?

The figures reveal the number of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime offences recorded by police forces from October 7 to November 7 2023 inclusive (the month following the Hamas attacks on Israel), together with totals for the equivalent periods in 2022 and 2021.

PA obtained full responses from 31 of the 46 forces across the UK, with the data representing a snapshot of what has currently been recorded by forces and is therefore subject to change.

Methods for recording hate crime are not consistent across forces, so the data cannot be used to compare the number of offences between different areas or provide an overall total for the whole of the UK.

But the figures do point to a jump in antisemitic offences recorded by forces concentrated mostly in cities or across built-up areas, while the pattern for Islamophobic offences was more varied.

What are some national patterns?

Nationally, the British Transport Police had one of the largest increases, recording 87 antisemitic offences in the month after October 7, up from eight in the same period in 2022 and 11 in 2021, as well as a jump in Islamophobic offences with 22 (2023), up from two (2022) and eight (2021).

Regional forces which saw the biggest increases in antisemitic offences include Greater Manchester Police which recorded 74 offences in the month following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, compared with 15 for the same period in 2022 and 14 in 2021, while West Yorkshire Police recorded 53, compared with 10 (2022) and 14 (2021).

West Yorkshire also recorded 49 Islamophobic offences in this period in 2023, up from 29 (2022) and 38 (2021), whilst Thames Valley reported 20 Islamophobic offences in 2023 comared to 14 (2022) and 12 (2021).

A rise in Islamophobic offences was not seen in some areas however, for instance in Greater Manchester (34 in 2023, 43 in 2022 and 42 in 2021) or West Midlands (25 in 2023, 33 in 2022 and 23 in 2021).

But what about in Lancashire?

In Lancashire the numbers are not so large but the same pattern remains: in the month following the Hamas attack, the force reported four antisemitic crimes (compared to 1 in the same period in 2022 and zero in 2021), whilst there were three Islamophobic attacks (compared to one in 2022 and two in 2021).

Lancashire Police said the figures had been compiled by searching for hate crimes marked as religious, followed by a manual review of each recorded crime to extract only those that were antisemitic and Islamophobic.

How have the Jewish community responded to the figures?

The Community Security Trust described the figures as “shocking” and said they made clear “the extent of the unacceptable rise in anti-Jewish hatred across the country since the Hamas terror attack on October 7”.

A spokesman for the Jewish charity said: “This wave of antisemitism was triggered by the mass murder, rape and kidnapping of Jews in Israel, and is fuelled and sustained by extremist hatred online and on our streets.

“It is essential that perpetrators are identified and prosecuted, and that wider society shows its disgust for this racist hate crime.”

A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said the findings “provide further evidence of the huge upsurge in antisemitism following the Hamas massacre of October 7”.

The board, seen as the voice of the British Jewish community with over 300 deputies directly elected by the synagogues and communal organisations they represent, told PA the rise in antisemitism had “caused enormous anxiety for Jewish people, particularly children and Jewish students on campus or indeed anyone easily identified as Jewish by their dress”.

A spokesman added: “We call on police to take strong action against anyone found to be perpetrating hate crimes.”

And the Muslim community?

Tell Mama, which monitors and works to tackle anti-Muslim sentiment and abuse in the UK, told PA that “levels of anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination are deeply worrying, impacting trust in authorities and their sense of identity and belonging”.

Iman Atta, the organisation’s director, said there had been a “significant spike in anti-Muslim hate since the atrocities on October 7”, adding: “The nature of many offline cases sent to our service is often overtly racist – targeting Arab and Palestinian communities with dehumanising slurs, anti-Muslim slurs or in some cases targeting their homes, or when speaking Arabic in public, as well as targeting Muslim communities across all ages and gender.

“We should never allow such hatred and intolerance to take root in our communities and at this time, please look out for each other, whether Muslim or Jewish. We must stand together against intolerance, hate and racism.”

The Muslim Council of Britain said: “Despite the extremely low reporting rate from Muslim communities, the huge increase in Islamophobic hate crimes recorded with the police reflects what we are seeing from third-party reporting groups.

“The Government’s laissez-faire attitude to Islamophobia contrasts strongly with its no-tolerance approach to antisemitism. We are hopeful this will now change.”

What has the Government said?

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “There is no place for hate in our society and we condemn the recent rise in reported antisemitic and anti-Muslim hatred.

“We expect the police to fully investigate all hate crimes and work with the CPS to make sure the cowards who commit these abhorrent offences feel the full force of the law.

“Following recent events, we have also made further funding available to Jewish and Muslim communities, to provide additional security at places of worship and faith schools.”