Anti-Semitic hate crime in London has skyrocketed four fold since October 7 massacre - overtaking Islamophobic incidents for the first time

Anti-semitic hate crime in London has skyrocketed four fold since the October 7 massacre, new data shows.

This record increase of anti-semitic crimes is still three times more than the previous high in 2020-2021, when the last war raged in Gaza , the Telegraph reports.

They have now overtaken the number of Islamophobic incidents for the first time, with 2,170 anti-semitic cases recorded by Met Police in the 11 months since October 7 compared to 1,568 Islamophobic hate crimes in the same period.

Islamophobic hate crimes have also nearly doubled since October 7, making it the highest number of incidents since 2016-2017 when incidents surged following the London Bridge terror attack.

Assistant Met Police Commissioner Matt Twist called this record increase in hate crimes of both anti-semitic and Islamophobic nature 'really concerning'.

'For the past year we have had a dedicated policing operation tackling hate crime in communities, responding to significant protest, countering extremism and terrorism, and working to provide reassurance particularly in parts of London with significant Jewish and Muslim populations,' he said in a statement.

The majority of anti-semitic hate crimes were reported in Barnet, Hackney, Camden, and Haringey - where the UK's largest Jewish communities live - as well as Westminster.

The number of anti-semitic hate crimes reported to Met Police corresponded to nearly one per every 1,000 Jews of the 270,000 that live in London, making it eight times higher than the rate per 1,000 Muslims living in London.

AC Twist said: 'As the situation in the Middle East becomes less certain once again, we know that fears and tensions will rise here at home too.'

The Campaign Against Antisemitism told MailOnline in March: 'Over the past few months, we have seen an extremely worrying surge in anti-Semitic violence, from beatings to knife-wielding.'

Figures from the Community Security Trust's (CST) Antisemitic Incidents Report from January to June this year state that 1,978 instances of anti-Jewish hate were recorded across the UK in the first six months of this year, up 105 per cent on the same period last year.

Just over half were linked to, or referenced, the Hamas atrocities of October 7 last year, Israel , the Palestinian territories or the subsequent war, the charity said.

The total included one incident of 'extreme violence' - an alleged arson attack on a residential property - during the period, the report said.

Cases of assault jumped 41 per cent period-on-period from 86 to 121.

The CST's report said: 'In 26 violent incidents in the first half of 2024, the offender threw eggs, stones, bricks, bottles or other objects at the victim, and 16 of these projectiles were launched from a passing vehicle.

'In 25 instances, the victim was punched or kicked, while in 19 cases, the victim was spat at.

'In 16 attacks, the perpetrator stripped the victim of religious clothes or accessories; on five occasions, the offender fired a non-lethal gun at the victim; one incident involved a knife; and on one occasion, a vehicle was used to physically endanger pedestrians.'

The figures also highlighted large increases in incidents against Jewish schools or schoolchildren, and in universities.

There were 162 incidents at Jewish schools or directed against Jewish pupils, up 119 per cent period-on-period.

'There were 96 anti-Semitic incidents in which the victims or offenders were students or academics, or which involved student unions, societies or other representative bodies,' the report went on.

'Of these, 44 took place on campus or university property and 45 were online.

'It is a record half-year figure and a sharp increase of 465 per cent from the same period in 2023.'

The report described how four Israelis were targeted in central London in January, with one woman punched, after three men of 'Arab or North African appearance' confronted them and said: 'f**k Jews, Hamas is the best'.