Greater Manchester Jewish Council report ten fold rise in antisemitic attacks

Jewish leaders in Greater Manchester say antisemitic hate crime has increased by 1,000% and that Jewish communities are facing 'unprecedented levels' of abuse since the start of the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

It comes as leaders of the Jewish Representative Council (JRC) in Greater Manchester and the Community Security Trust (CST) met with Andy Burnham, following the Metro Mayor's calls for a ceasefire in the conflict, to allow humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.

A statement signed by the leaders of Greater Manchester's 10 local authorities on Friday 27 October joined the international calls for a ceasefire amid the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza.

Since the start of the war four weeks ago, at least 9,770 Palestinians have died - most of them women and children - and the Israeli death toll stands at 1,400, according to their respective health ministries.

After leaders of the JRC met with Andy Burnham, they reiterated that while "every civilian death is a tragedy that should be mourned", they categorically "reject any calls for a ceasefire".

The organisation said it told Mr Burnham that it believes any ceasefire would "enable Hamas to continue committing atrocities against innocent civilians and there would be no incentive to release the hostages currently being held against their will."

In a statement following the meeting, the JRC and CST said:

"At this time, we note the pressures being placed on community cohesion and interfaith networks. 

"We understand that as Metro Mayor there is a need to engage with all communities in Greater Manchester and it is important that he is able to listen to, respond and represent the views of those communities, including  to national politicians.

"We asked that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor continue to engage in dialogue with a view to bringing different communities together and ensuring the safety of all communities in Greater Manchester.

"This is pertinent in Greater Manchester where the Jewish community always suffers from an increase in antisemitism when there is a conflict involving Israel. CST explained that over the last few weeks, we have experienced a 1000% surge in attacks targeting the Jewish community.

"As a result, we plead with those elected to represent us, communal leaders and the residents of Greater Manchester to focus on condemning all forms of hate crime. This will ensure citizens feel safe sending their children to school or openly expressing their religion."

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