UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday promised more funding to tackle anti-Semitism, saying he was “deeply concerned” by the rise in hostility towards the Jewish community.
Outlining the latest government spending plans, Hunt told parliament he was allocating £7 million ($8.8 million) over the next three years to tackle the issue in schools and universities.
The funding will go towards groups like the Holocaust Educational Trust charity, he added.
“When it comes to anti-Semitism and all forms of racism we must never allow the clock to be turned back,” Hunt told MPs.
The UK has seen a spike in anti-Semitic incidents and large-scale protests in support of Palestinians in Gaza after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.
The Community Security Trust (CST) said in the 40 days from the initial Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 to November 15, it recorded at least 1,324 anti-Semitic incidents across the UK.
That was the highest-ever total over a 40-day period since the Jewish charity began logging incidents in 1984, and compares with 217 reported in the same period in 2022.
Incidents included assaults, damage and desecration of Jewish property, threats, verbal and online abuse, as well as graffiti and hate mail, it said.
Hunt said the government would repeat a £3-million uplift to the CST, after it received a first payment of the same amount in October to boost security at Jewish schools and synagogues.
