A Jewish man was abused by a cyclist who shouted 'F***ing Jew, Hitler is coming' as he was walking home in Manchester, a staggering report into antisemitism has revealed.
It comes as the Community Security Trust uncovered a concerning new trend during the last year, in which a high number of anti-Jewish abuse was directed towards children.
The report highlighted a shocking case in November in which a 'visibly Jewish man' was walking home in Manchester. On his way, as he walked past a synagogue, a cyclist rode past and shouted,' F***ing Jew, Hitler is coming.'
READ MORE: 'My mother always found her story too painful to talk about... I can't let it be forgotten'
"This is indicative of the most common type of incident reported to CST; unprompted verbal abuse towards a visibly Jewish person who is just going about their day in public," authors of the report said.
Strikingly, there were more antisemitic incidents in 2022 that celebrated and glorified the Holocaust (79 incidents) than those that denied it (19 incidents).
A number of antisemitic incidents were also reported to the CST during professional football matches last year, a rise from the year before. There were 56 antisemitic incidents reported to CST in 2022 that took place in the context of professional football. It is a rise from the 43 such incidents reported in 2021, and 18 recorded in 2020.
Of these 56 incidents, 27 involved racist abuse and chants inside stadiums; 14 were reports of anti-Jewish hate outside stadiums, including racist abuse and chants, as well as stickers and graffiti related to football clubs and supporter groups; 15 were online incidents, including comments regarding football, and anti-Jewish replies to British football clubs posting about Jewish holidays on social media.
Ten incidents were perpetrated by fans of Chelsea; six by Manchester United supporters; four by fans of Arsenal and Manchester City; three by Everton supporters; two each by fans of Liverpool Newcastle United, Olympique de Marseille and West Ham United; and one each by supporters of Atlético de Madrid, Burnley, Rangers, Southampton, S.S.C. Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On 30 occasions, this abuse targeted Tottenham Hotspur or their fans; Chelsea, Manchester United or their supporters in six instances each; Manchester City or their fans in five cases.
Overall, the report found that the number of antisemitic incidents across Greater Manchester has fallen by more then a quarter in the last year. There were 210 incidents in 2022, a drop of 26 percent from 284 in 2021.
In the region the highest number, 56, were in Bury, followed by 51 in the City of Manchester, 51 in Salford, 11 in Trafford and eight in Stockport.
Nationally there were 1,652 anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust. This is a 27 percent decrease on a record high of 2,261 in 2021, which, say the CST, reflected reactions to conflict in Israel and Gaza that year.
According to the report, published on Thursday (9 February), areas where there are sizeable, established, visibly Jewish populations continue to be the primary location for violent antisemitic attacks .
Of the 137 cases of assault and extreme violence, 80 (58%) took place across just five boroughs: Barnet (35) and Hackney (25) in Greater London, Salford (nine) and Bury (six) in Greater Manchester, and Gateshead (five) in Northumbria.
These regions are home to some of the largest and most clearly identifiable Jewish communities in the UK, including the Higher Broughton and Sedgley Park areas of Salford and Bury.
The report says a concerning trend during 2022 was the high proportion of incidents that involved victims or offenders under the age of 18. Of the 922 antisemitic incidents recorded where the victim or victims’ age was ascertained, 141 (15 percent ) exclusively targeted victims who were minors.
This is broadly similar to 2021, when 82% of victims were adults and 14% were minors. This, though, was a departure from 2020, when 89% of victims were adults and 8 percent were minors.
The report says: "These percentages had generally been the norm until 2021, when a sharp rise in school-related antisemitism was reported in response to heightened tensions in the Middle East. It appears that this increase in the proportion of incidents affecting children has continued in 2022."
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region said in a statement: “We are understandably concerned that during 2022, the Community Security Trust has recorded 210 cases of antisemitism across Greater Manchester. This reflects a slight drop from the record levels experienced during the previous year. However, when taken in historical context, Jewish people have been subjected to a significant number of hate crimes across Greater Manchester.
"We are an outward facing and vibrant community. However, we are once again left dealing with a worrying number of antisemitic incidents. This is coupled with the fact our buildings are located behind gates with security guards. Naturally, this has the potential to negatively affect our community’s confidence.
"Alongside the Community Security Trust, we regularly engage with the Greater Manchester Metro Mayor, Police and Crime Commissioner, Chief Constable and Greater Manchester Police. We thank them for their long-standing and unwavering support in protecting our community.”
CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner said: “Each month, CST receives well over 100 reports of anti-Jewish hatred. This is what everyday antisemitism now looks like and it is without any particular trigger event, whether domestic or overseas. The devil in the detail is the growing number of children who feature as both victims and perpetrators. We need better education and role models for young people and more prosecutions for high profile cases.”
Home Secretary, Suella Braverman MP, said: “While I welcome the reduction in the number of antisemitic incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust, it is a sobering reminder that antisemitism continues to be a scourge on our society, and we cannot be complacent.
"I am committed to ensuring the despicable people who commit these crimes feel the full force of the law. Our absolute priority is to get more police onto our streets, cut crime, protect the public and bring more criminals to justice. I applaud the continued efforts of CST to protect Jewish people and stamp out these abhorrent crimes, and I look forward to continuing to work together to tackle antisemitism in all its forms”.
