Antisemitic incidents are increasing as Israel’s retaliation against Gaza intensifies, a council leader in Greater Manchester has warned as police in the region deployed extra officers to deal with hate crime.
Bury, home to more than 10,700 Jews, has seen reports of antisemitism increase throughout the week, according to council leader Eamonn O’Brien. “What started as one or two isolated, relatively minor incidents has started to escalate,” he said, with Jewish residents “worried about what’s to come”.
Reports included people walking into businesses and asking employees if they were Jewish, and a kosher restaurant being egged by youths.
The home secretary, Suella Braverman, recently issued a stark warning to demonstrators at pro-Palestine rallies, some of whom she claimed were involved in glorifying terrorism.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people called for a free Palestine as they demonstrated across the UK, with marches in Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London. Many carried flags, banners and flares as they called on world leaders to condemn the actions of the Israeli army.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, Braverman said some protesters mocked the killing of Jews and celebrated Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation.
“Thank you to police officers who worked so hard yesterday in difficult circumstances to manage tens of thousands of protesters. Numerous arrests were made as a result of pockets of disorder, violence and hate,” she posted.
“To all those who saw fit to promote genocide, glorify terrorism and mock the murder of Jewish people, including women and babies – the police are coming for you.”
Since Hamas militants launched terror attacks to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians on 7 October, there has been a sharp increase in reports of antisemitism in the UK, according to the Community Safety Trust (CST), which monitors such attacks.
In the seven days to Friday, CST recorded 109 antisemitic incidents in Greater London; 22 in Greater Manchester; eight in West Yorkshire; seven in the West Midlands; four in Hertfordshire; and the remaining 40 incidents spread across 12 different UK locations.
According to the CST, a visibly Jewish man in Glasgow was hit on the head with a steak knife and had his kippah (skullcap) cut in half, while in Nottingham “Free Palestine” and “f*** the Jews” were written on a supermarket wall.
Jewish communities in Bury, which has the fourth largest Jewish population of any authority in England and Wales, have reported feeling threatened by people driving past in cars waving Palestinian flags, O’Brien said.
He said there had also been a report of a Muslim girl harassed on the street last week, citing an internal briefing given on Friday by Greater Manchester police. Tell Mama, which monitors Islamophobic incidents, said last week that there had been a trebling in reports of anti-Muslim cases over six days.
O’Brien said: “Whenever there is conflict in the Middle East, it inevitably seems to find its way over here on to our streets. There’s a worry it’s going to get worse.”
He said he expected there to be a “quite significant uptick” in reports of antisemitism this weekend, particularly from Saturday, the Jewish holy day, when Orthodox Jews walk around the community more as driving is not permitted. Making phone calls is also forbidden on the Sabbath, which will probably lead to a delay in reporting, he explained.
He said residents felt reassured by a visible increase in police presence but fearful of what was to come.
Greater Manchester police said: “Whilst hate crime is always a priority for the force, resources have been bolstered to keep communities across Greater Manchester safe and reassured.
“In case of increased incidents and reporting, additional officers – overseen by a senior detective – have been assigned to ensure the delivery of outstanding service to victims.”
A large pro-Palestinian protest took place in Manchester on Saturday, with a march from Platt Fields Park to St Peter’s Square. There were no arrests, the force said. A similar demonstration in Newcastle resulted in three arrests for non-hate crimes, according to Northumbria police.
“The vast majority of those attending the scheduled protest did so peacefully. Officers arrested two men on suspicion of unlawful procession and another man on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. All three men have been released on police bail pending further inquiries,” a Northumbria police spokesperson said.
• The image on this article was changed on 16 October 2023 to use a more appropriate photograph.
