Windermere Holocaust archivist says antisemitism has 'reached another level' amid hate crimes rise

• ITV Border's reporter Hannah McNulty hears from the Windermere Holocaust archivist who have experienced antisemitic hate.

Windermere Holocaust archivist says antisemitic hate has "gone onto a different level" as Home Office, released this week, shows a 25% national increase in religious hate crimes.

Trevor Avery, Director of the Lake District Holocaust Project, says the recent antisemitic graffiti marked on the building of the exhibition has become "insidious".

He said: "Often it happens and you deal with each incident as it comes along. But then you look back, suddenly there are personal attacks, personal threats face to face and you realise it's gone onto a different level. I could probably name all the jewish folks in this area, it's a small community.

"The fear from jewish people visiting, imagine turning up to a Holocaust project in Windermere which tells this beautiful story of these children who arrived and were cared for by the locals and there's a swastika on the building."

The charity says antisemitic graffiti has also appeared at a playground in Windermere, the place where Holocaust victims came to recover after the Second World War.

Windermere provided sanctuary to hundreds of Nazi death camp survivors 79 years ago, in 1945.

Boys and girls who survived the concentration and labour camps in eastern Europe, known as the 'Windermere Boys', moved to the Lake District leaving their home countries behind.

The children settled in Cumbria as part of a recuperating scheme in which they were provided education, training and language skills. They were also given psychological help to aid their integration into British society.

Julian Hyde, a volunteer at The Lake District Holocaust Project, says he has experienced homophobic verbal abuse and has also been harassed on his way home by a group of young children in May 2024.

The incident made Julian "physically ill", he says, whilst also affecting his mental health.

Julian says he was watching cricket as the incident unfolded.

He said: "It started to escalate, I was attempting to ignore them, but then they were following me, I won't repeat the abuse, it's pretty unpleasant.

"I was physically ill with nausea, my hands were shaking. I took a back route home because I was very worried they were following me to my door."

Hate crime is defined as discrimination motivated by an individual's characteristics.

The five hate crimes monitored are race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, transgender identity.

Cumbria Police is using a form of restorative justice to educate young offenders on the impact of their words and actions.

Restorative justice aims to find a positive way forward in repairing the harm caused by the crimes committed.

David Allen, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: "There had been some [antisemitic] graffiti done by children in that area. We managed to find the individuals who did it, we utilised a company to bring them together with the exhibition organisers to explain what it is and the effect what they have done has had, to hopefully educate them to make sure they won't do it again."

Hate crime is defined as ‘any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic.’

Despite hate crimes recorded by the police falling by 5% from the previous year, religious hate crimes have increased by 25%, from 8,370 to 10,484 offences.

The Home Office says the rise is driven by an increase of offences against Jewish people.

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