Greater Manchester Police have announced increased resources to keep communities safe from hate crimes.
It comes after a huge rise in antisemitic hate crime, following the recent Hamas attacks in the Middle East. Figures suggest a nearly six-fold increase in hate crime in the last 10 days.
Marc Levy, Chief Executive of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JRC), said: “Historically, whenever there is conflict in the middle east, there is a huge surge in hate crime.
“As the conflict gets deeper, we’ll see antisemitism continue to increase. On this occasion, the level of increase is unprecedented.”
Mr Levy went on to say: “And to have Jewish parents sat around dinner tables talking about whether it is safe to send their children to school in the UK in 2023 is truly shameful.”
Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes from Greater Manchester Police, reassured the Jewish community, saying: “Hate crimes have an incredibly traumatic impact on victims and communities – particularly at times such as this when they may be deeply distressed and feeling vulnerable.
“There is no place for this type of crime in Greater Manchester”
He went on to say: “All officers have been reminded of best practices to ensure the best possible response to reports and we are working alongside those who represent our communities to ensure consistency.”
GMP’s efforts have been felt in the Jewish community – Marc Levy said: “The police have been absolutely phenomenal.
“They have met with the community repeatedly to offer their reassurance and give us their guarantee that they will do everything in their power to protect the Jewish community.”
Hamas is a terrorist group formed in 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian uprising – its most recent attacks began on the 7th October 2023.
The Community Security Trust found that antisemitic hate crime has risen by 581% since the 7th October 2023 of Hamas attacks, compared to the same period in 2022.
They also found an 850% increase in suspicious antisemitic behaviour, which means the community are reporting things that may or may not be crimes.