Antisemitism has increased by 300 percent in Scotland, a new study by the journal of the Institute for Global Jewish Affairs has concluded.
The report, compiled by two Scottish academics, blames tensions in the Middle East for the bulk of the incidents that have included synagogue and cemetery vandalism in addition to verbal abuse.
While pointing to the Middle East for the source of the incidents, the report charges the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) of bias following its calls to sanction Israel last year. Such biases, the report writes, have fueled a growing anti-Semitic trend and highlight the dangerous trend of singling out Israel.
“There has been historically little Antisemitism in Scotland, and in particular good relations with the churches. Recently there has been a significant increase, much of it associated with events in the Middle East,” they wrote.
“Specifically, the Scottish trade union movement has pursued a policy of boycotting Israel despite a dialogue with the Jewish community aimed at understanding both sides of the conflict.”
While in 2008 only 10 out of 541 anti-Semitic events in the United Kingdom occurred in Scotland (1.8%), the number of incidents jumped to 30 in 2009.
Responding to news of the study, a Scottish government spokesperson said, “There is no excuse for any form of hate crime; it is simply not acceptable and it will not be tolerated. That is why Scotland has tough legislation to prosecute those who carry out crimes based on discrimination. Only by working together can we all prosper in an equal, modern Scotland.”
Jews have a long history in Scotland, numbering as much as 18,000 in the 1950s. Following waves of emigration, Scotland’s Jewish immigration has shrunk to around 10,000 people. Half live in Glasgow’s suburb of East Renfrewshire, 1,119 live in Glasgow and 790 live in Edinburgh.
