Antisemitic incidents on the rise since Hamas attack, says Bury council leader

Members of the Jewish community attend a vigil for victims of the attacks in Israel, in St Peter’s Square, Manchester, on 11 October. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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”.