The Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 594 antisemitic race hate incidents throughout the UK in 2006. This is a 31% rise from the 455 incidents recorded in 2005, and is the highest total since records began in 1984.

The escalation continues the trend since 2000 of high numbers of attacks, occurring in association with local and overseas events. The victims were largely Jewish individuals and community organisations (especially synagogues) chosen at random, and regardless of their political or other views. The incident types were as follows:

112 ‘violent assaults’ (up 37% from 82 in 2005)
70 ‘damage and desecration’ of Jewish communal property (up 46% from 48 in 2005)
27 ‘threats’ (up 8% from 25 in 2005)
365 ‘abusive behaviour’ (up 34% from 273 in 2005)
20 mass produced antisemitic ‘literature’ (down 26% from 27 in 2005)
A further 306 incidents were reported to CST, but were not believed to be antisemitic, and are not included in the total of 594 incidents.

The CST’s spokesman, Mark Gardner, said,
“Antisemitic hate crime levels have more than doubled in the last ten years. This is unacceptable racism, that many Jews had hoped and believed was a thing of the past. Today’s antisemitism is a wave of hatred, intimidation and abuse against British Jews, who are stupidly blamed and randomly attacked over international tensions for which they bear no responsibility. We call upon the Police, Government, political parties and democrats everywhere to act loudly and clearly against this hateful trend