October 7 anniversary: Jewish and Muslim people in the UK reflect on what's changed this year
New figures show both antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime incidents have hit record highs since October 7 and the year of conflict in Gaza since, ITV News' Sam Holder and Shehab Khan report
Words by ITV News Producers Maya Bowles and Roohi Hasan
Thousands of miles from Israel and Gaza, people from both Jewish and Muslim communities in Britain have felt the impact of the horrors of October 7 and the conflict that followed.
A year ago, the Hamas attacks on Israel that day led to 1,200 people being killed, the biggest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust.
The attacks which followed by Israel on Gaza over the last 12 months have led to more than 40,000 people being killed. That's the highest number of women and children killed in a one-year period in any conflict globally in the last two decades, according to Oxfam.
Both antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime incidents have soared. For British Jews, 2023 was the worst year for UK antisemitism since records began 40 years ago, according to the Community Security Trust, and for Muslims the highest in 14 years according to charity Tell Mama - and that's only counting the crimes actually reported.
ITV News reporters Sam Holder and Shehab Khan spent time with Jewish and Muslim communities respectively to hear about how their lives have changed in the last year.
“I am still extremely proud of my like Jewish identity, but I don't feel safe in public": British Jews share their experiences one year on from October 7
The one-year anniversary of October 7 is an incredibly emotional and painful time for many British Jews, some of whom have relatives who were at the Nova festival or related to those amongst the 1,200 killed or the families of the hostages taken.
But the year has been made worse for many because of the repercussions of events abroad.
Even schoolchildren are bearing the brunt.
“I had someone make comments about how he was essentially telling me he was pro concentration camps in the Holocaust," one young student told ITV News.
One student described some of the antisemitic abuse she has faced in the last year
"We were in a work experience setting with people from, you know, different faiths, different cultures.
"What made me even more, you know, upset or even more annoyed was that no one dealt with it."
Simon was travelling by train when he was verbally abused and spat at by another passenger.
"Your religion supports killing Muslims," the passenger said.
The man targeted him for wearing a kippah. Nobody helped.
Simon was targeted on public transport by a stranger who saw that he was wearing a kippah
"I feel that anyone living in the UK should be able to display symbols of their religion whether it's a cross, whether it's a hijab or a turban or whatever it is, and not feel that they would be discriminated [against] or attacked," he said.
We also met three mums who all gave birth after October 7.
One told us how she and her family had made some tough choices in order to not be at risk as hate crime grew, including removing her daughter from nursery and advising her husband to remove his kippah.
One mum told ITV News that the last year has been "the worst year" to be Jewish
For Joanne, it was important to name her daughter after one of the victims.
"It was just quite poignant for me... This terrible tumultuous thing that was happening whilst I was very pregnant... They won't be forgotten."
Another mum described it as "the worst year to be Jewish I've ever had".
"I feel like I’ve always got to have this really nuanced political, considerate response to anything that ever happens for Jewish people and Israel and I’m literally just a mum trying to live my life."
The question for these mums is whether their children will face the same scrutiny.
"Every day I wake up just filled with despair": British Muslims share their experiences one year on from October 7
As the death toll in Gaza exceeds 40,000, and the Israeli military campaign extends into Lebanon, many Muslims in Britain feel a profound sense of grief and anger.
People across the UK have been taking to the streets every week to call for a ceasefire, including Farah and Imran Kausar, who have attended protests with their three young children.
“I just feel like I’m in constant mourning, and every day I wake up just filled with despair," Farah told ITV News.
“Attending these protests is just a way of trying to do, no matter how small, something vaguely positive," she said.
"I know there are other 11-year-old kids like me - I can't imagine what they must be going through," one of Farah and Imran's sons said
Sulaiman, 13, said he goes to the protests with his parents to “advocate for the Palestinian citizens who don’t have a voice”.
Farah and Imran have attended a number of anti-war protests in the past, but they say they’ve been demonised and labelled as extremists for campaigning for a ceasefire in Palestine.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman called the protests “hate marches”, which sparked a huge backlash.
“The irony being is that all we’re asking is for peace… To minimise it and reduce it and almost invalidate our genuine concerns has been incredibly disappointing," Farah said.
The conflict is also having a physical impact on people’s safety in the UK, with a record rise in Islamophobic hate crime incidents since October last year.
"We're in a constant state of danger," Ruby told ITV News
Tell Mama UK, who record anti-Muslim hate incidents, said there were 4,971 reported incidents of anti-Muslim hate between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2024, the highest total for 14 years.
Ruby was on her way home from a pro-Palestine protest with a group of friends when she was verbally attacked by a man who called her “a cancer on this country”.
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The man also accused her and the group she was with of being responsible for Hamas’ rocket fire into Israel.
“We are always in a constant state of danger," she said.
“It’s sadly becoming the norm now, it’s really worrying because this is our home, this is our country, we are British.
“We should be able to feel comfortable walking down the street… but things have changed so much that we don’t feel safe," Ruby told ITV News.
One year on, Gaza is regularly mentioned in mosques up and down the country.
"It's been one of the most difficult periods," Adhem said
Adhem Shaquil is an imam in Birmingham, and says some at his mosque have struggled to see the severity of the conflict.
“During our religious sermons it comes up consistently - on a weekly basis, we'll have to mention it," he said.
“The images are totally horrific and we don't want to be in a position where we seem like we're turning a blind eye.”
With so many feeling ignored, earlier this year some British Muslims took to the ballot box to express their frustrations, with five independent pro Gaza MPs winning seats at the last election.
"When the Gaza issue happened - that changed everything," Nasir said
Nasir Rafiq works on community cohesion in the Midlands, and he believes this is a permanent change to our political landscape
“There was a general disillusionment against politicians, but when the Gaza issue happened, that changed everything.
“What they expected from politicians, politicians were not delivering, and this is where the market of independents came in," he told ITV News.
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