Religious hate crimes hit record high in England and Wales, data shows

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Religious hate crimes hit a record high in England and Wales in the year to March, as offences against Jewish people and Muslims surged in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

Some 10,484 religious hate crimes were reported in 2023-24, according to Home Office data published on Thursday. This represented a rise of 25 per cent from 8,370 incidents the previous year and the highest level since records began in 2012. 

The increase in offences was driven by attacks targeting Jewish people, which more than doubled to 3,282 incidents over the period, while the number of incidents against Muslims jumped 13 per cent to 3,866. 

Charities that support Jewish and Muslim communities said the data reflected a sharp rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October last year.

“When the October 7 attack [by Hamas] happened, we knew immediately that there would be a rise in antisemitism, but the scale and the speed took us by surprise,” said the Community Security Trust, a charity that provides security to schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.

Iman Atta, director at Tell Mama, a project that tracks anti-Muslim abuse, said the hate crime data showed a significant increase in religiously aggravated offences even before the anti-Muslim and racist riots that occurred over the summer.

“The war on Gaza has left some questioning their safety and sense of belonging in the UK — a feeling compounded by the far-right violence in parts of the country following the horrific stabbings in Southport,” she added, referring to the attack on July 29 in which three children were killed and eight more injured.

“This demonstrates that we really need robust and updated hate crime and social cohesion plans in place,” she added.

Data from the Metropolitan Police Service showed an uptick in all hate crime incidents in London over the summer, rising from 3,786 in May and June to 4,384 in July and August.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday said the government would work “tirelessly” to tackle the “appalling” levels of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate across the country.

“We must not allow events unfolding in the Middle East to play out in increased hatred and tension here on our streets, and those who push this poison — offline or online — must face the full force of the law,” she added.

The Home Office data showed there were more than 140,500 total hate crimes recorded in the year ending in March, down from 147,645 the previous year. Racially motivated crimes accounted for more than two-thirds of offences.