Anti-semitic attacks QUADRUPLED across the region in July, shocking new figures reveal.
As violence escalated in Gaza, Jewish communities in Salford, Bury and Manchester suffered a huge surge in incidents - including Hitler salutes, egg-throwing and smashed gravestones.
The Community Security Trust - which works to protect Jewish people, lobbies on their behalf and compiles statistics on hate crime - has now revealed there were 52 anti-semitic attacks across the region in July, mostly concentrated in Salford, Bury and Manchester.
That compares to 96 in the whole of the previous six months and is a 300 per cent increase on July the previous year, when there were 13.
CST spokesman Mark Gardner said most of the attacks consisted of verbal or online abuse. But he said there had also been a particular increase in cans, stones and eggs being hurled at Jewish people.
The figures’ speak for themselves’ he said, but added: “Anti-semitic figures are really just one way of measuring what’s going on.
“Really it’s the stress inside people’s heads that’s impossible to measure. That’s what’s important.”
According to the CST’s figures, anti-Jewish attacks have been steadily rising in Greater Manchester over the past few years. In the first half of 2012 there were 79 incidents, while in the same period of 2013 there were 83. This year there were nearly 100 in that time.
But July saw a massive spike across the country, with communities such as Prestwich and Broughton suffering particularly badly.
One of the worst incidents saw carloads of pro-Palestinian protesters drive through Broughton Park shouting fascist slogans and hurling missiles.
In response to the increase, security in north Manchester’s Jewish areas has been visibly ramped up in recent months.
Mr Gardner added: “Jewish communities have strict physical security and guarding in place precisely because we know things like this can occur and there is always an ongoing jihadi terror threat
“So at a time like this we ensure all procedures are rigorously enforced.”
Nationwide anti-semitic crimes quadrupled in July year-on-year.
More than half the offenders for which the CST could get descriptions were described as ‘south Asian’.
Chief Supt Chris Sykes of GMP’s Rochdale Division said: "Figures fluctuate from year to year, and increases can be linked to events elsewhere, such as what is currently happening in Gaza, but regardless of this, we take the reported increase in anti-Semitic incidents very seriously.
"Any form of hate crime is distressing to victims, and we seek enhanced sentences for offenders wherever possible.
“We continue to work with the Community Security Trust (CST) and local authorities to improve community safety, and the CST is a valued partner in providing third party reporting opportunities for the Jewish community across the region.
“We work closely together at all times to share information and ensure that victims are being supported, and will soon be carrying out joint patrols during the Jewish High Holy Days, when hate incidents can rise in frequency.
“Hate crimes continue to be under-reported, and so I would urge people to always come forward, as we have trained our officers on how to understand and meet the needs of Jewish victims."