Hate crimes against religious groups surge in England, Wales
Religious hate crimes in England and Wales have seen a disturbing 25% increase in the year ending March 2024, according to official data released by the Home Office.
The number of recorded offences motivated by religion or perceived religion rose to 10,484, up from 8,370 the previous year. This surge is primarily driven by a significant rise in anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim offences.
Anti-Jewish crimes more than doubled to 3,282, up from 1,543, while anti-Muslim crimes increased to 3,866, up from 3,432.
The government attributed this increase to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. These alarming statistics highlight growing concerns about religious intolerance and bigotry in the region.
In contrast, overall recorded hate crimes decreased by 5% to 140,561. However, racially motivated hate crimes continue to dominate, accounting for over two-thirds of all reported incidents, consistent with previous years.
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has led to the killing of at least 42,010 people and 97,720 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 2023.
In Israel, at least 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 people were taken captive.