As many as 1,805 complaints related to anti-Semitic incidents were lodged in Britain in 2019, which is an all-time high, said the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity tracking the issue. The trust alleged that more than a tenth of the complaints was "related to the Labour Party". Online attacks account for around 39 per cent of such incidents in the UK.
The trust, which offers support to Jewish people in Britain, said the figure represented a seven per cent jump on the number reported in 2018.
According to the charity, online attacks are only a sign and may understate the scale of the problem.
The entity has been recording anti-Semitic incidents since 1984.
The issue featured prominently in December's general election campaign when Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was damaged by accusations of allowing anti-Semitism to grow in his party.
It is learnt that the Equality and Human Rights Commission is looking into the allegations.
December saw the highest rate of complaints when there was "prominent and intense debate over allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party", the charity said.
Of the 1,805 reported incidents, 224 were said to be related to the labour party.
"It is clear that both social media and mainstream politics are places where anti-Semitism and racism need to be driven out if things are to improve in the future," said CST chief executive David Delew.
The Labour Against Anti-Semitism pressure group called the report "damning" for the 120-year-old party, which suffered its worst election defeat since 1935.
"We believe that the true scale of left-wing anti-Semitism in the UK is even wider and more deeply embedded than the report suggests," it said in a statement.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)