Islamophobic and anti-Semitic hate crimes rising

Figures have been released showing a rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crimes across the West.

Avon and Somerset's police force area saw the greatest rise of anti-Muslim crimes which almost doubled within two years.

Freedom of Information requests by the Press Association (PA) also found Gloucestershire had more hate crimes in the last two years.

Avon and Somerset Police said the rise in reported crimes showed "trust and confidence" in policing.

The increase was attributed to the disorder in Bristol, in August, where far-right protestors and a counter protest group clashed.

PA obtained full responses from 33 of the 40 forces operating across England, with the data representing a snapshot of what has been recorded.

The year-on-year data ranged from October 2021 to September 2024.

Nationally, most forces saw a clear year-on-year increase in the total number of the crimes.

Avon and Somerset's data included the number of crimes with a hate flag deemed anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim.

From October 2021 to September 2022 there were 58 Islamophobic hate crimes in Avon and Somerset, compared to 112 between October 2023 and September 2024.

Anti-Semitic hate crimes grew in the region between the same periods from 27 to 59.

Gloucestershire saw a smaller increase of both hate crimes, with 21 to 26 of those being anti-Semitic between the same periods.

Its figures showed anti-Jewish crimes rose from 23 to 27.

Ch Insp Karen Corrigan, the lead for hate crime in Avon and Somerset Police, said more than 470 reports made in August were "racial in nature".

She said: "It's widely acknowledged that hate crime in general is an area that is vastly under-reported, so seeing the number of reports rising over the past few years is in some ways encouraging, showing more people have trust and confidence in policing to report incidents.

"We welcome this increase and remain dedicated to rebuilding trust and confidence with our communities in order to continue seeing more reports.

"Recognising the alarm and fear that many in our minoritised communities were experiencing during this time, and to try and counter much of the disinformation and misinformation that was circulating online, we opened direct lines of communication with community and religious leaders, to ensure they were regularly updated on the facts and our operational plans, an approach which helped to reassure and calm the public."

PA said it did not receive data from Wiltshire Police.

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