Increase in anti-semitic hate crimes across the UK

The number of reported anti-semitic incidents in the United Kingdom have increased by just over 50%, figures released by a charity have suggested.

There were 473 recorded anti-semitic incidents between January and June this year, a 53% rise from 2014, according to the Community Security Trust.

CST chief executive David Delew welcomed increases in crime reporting, but said the figures caused "anxiety" amongst Britain's Jewish communties.

The CST - a charity that monitors anti-semitism - said the 473 recorded incidents included 44 violent assaults and two involving "extreme violence".

There were 35 instances of damage and desecration of Jewish property, and 88 cases of abuse or threats on social media, the charity's figures say.

Around a third of these were said to be random, spontaneous acts of verbal abuse directed at Jewish people in public.

The CST said the main explanation for the rise was a greater willingness to report incidents.

Separate figures - released by individual UK police forces - showed 459 anti-semitic incidents were recorded by the Metropolitan Police in London in 2014/15, up from 193 in 2013/14 - an increase of 137%.

In Greater Manchester, anti-semitic reports increased from 82 to 172.

Home Secretary Theresa May has said that anti-semitism has "no place in Britain".