Religious Hate Crimes Surge in England and Wales Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

Hate crimes in England and Wales saw a 25% rise, influenced by the Israel-Hamas conflict, with anti-Jewish incidents more than doubling. Crimes targeting Muslims also increased. Official data reveals a total of 10,484 religion-motivated offences, despite a 5% overall drop in hate crimes from the previous year.

Religious hate crimes in England and Wales surged by 25% in the year ending March 2024, as per official data revealed on Thursday. The increase was predominantly driven by a significant rise in anti-Jewish offences attributed to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Data from the interior ministry indicated that offences motivated by religion or perceived religion rose to 10,484, up from 8,370 the previous year. Notably, crimes against the Jewish community more than doubled to 3,282 from 1,543, while those against the Muslim community also saw an increase to 3,866 from 3,432.

This pattern mirrors findings from the Community Security Trust, which reported antisemitism reaching unprecedented levels since the conflict's eruption. Despite this surge in religious hate crimes, the overall number of recorded hate crimes fell by 5% to 140,561, maintaining a trend of predominantly racially motivated incidents.

(With inputs from agencies.)