Antisemtic graffiti (illustrative). Photo: courtesy of jforum.fr.

The number of antisemitic hate incidents in the UK fell slightly in the first half of 2018, but remained high historically, new data published by the Community Security Trust (CST) revealed.

According to the CST, there were 727 antisemitic incidents across the UK in the first six months of 2018, the second-highest total the CST has ever recorded for a January-June period, but an 8% drop from the corresponding time frame in 2017, when there were 786 such occurrences.

The most common type of antisemitic incident in the first half of 2018 involved “verbal abuse randomly directed at visibly Jewish people in public,” the CST said.

Three-quarters of the overall number of incidents took place in the London and Manchester areas, home to the UK’s two-largest Jewish communities.

CST Chief Executive David Delew said, “Any fall in antisemitism is welcome, but these are the second worst figures ever and continue a trend that has now lasted for over two years. This antisemitism is not a random event, it reflects the state of British politics and wider society. Each month we are seeing over 100 antisemitic incidents and many more go unreported. We will keep working with all of our partners inside and outside the Jewish community to do all we can against antisemitism.”

Board of Deputies of British Jews Vice President Amanda Bowman stated, “The Community Security Trust’s latest report shows a small reduction in antisemitic incidents in the first six months of this year but reported antisemitism is still at historically high levels so there is no room for complacency. We commend the CST for their valuable work and we will continue to work with our colleagues there as well as with the government, police, parliamentarians and public authorities to ensure that the UK continues to be a safe and welcoming place for the Jewish community.”