On the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, data released on Holocaust Memorial Day has revealed a disturbing rise of 104% in anti-Semitic incidents across

the United Kingdom. Published on Saturday, the figures also indicate a doubling of Holocaust-related anti-Semitism over the past year.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity dedicated to safeguarding British Jews, reported receiving 955 instances of Holocaust-related abuse, encompassing references to Hitler, the Nazis, and swastikas—more than twice the figure from the preceding year. Additionally, the data highlights a concerning 130% surge in incidents glorifying or advocating for another Holocaust.

The CST disclosed that over half of the total incidents from the past year were reported after the October 7 attacks, during which 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas, with a further 200 taken hostage, as reported by Sky News.

Incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti, including offensive messages, have been reported, such as the vandalizing of a Pita restaurant in Golders Green, north London, in October and the spraying of anti-Semitic messages on skate ramps in a park in Notting Hill, west London, in December.

Holocaust denial incidents have also witnessed an increase, as confirmed by the charity.

Holocaust Memorial Day, observed annually on January 27, serves to commemorate the victims of the Nazi genocide, as well as those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. Britons are encouraged to light a candle in memory of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. Several London landmarks, including the London Eye, will be illuminated in purple to mark the occasion.

Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, a Holocaust survivor rescued from Czechoslovakia by Sir Nicholas Winton, emphasized that much of the anti-Semitism she observes is rooted in ignorance.

Disturbingly, Metropolitan Police records indicate a significant increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in the aftermath of the October 7 attack. The total number of anti-Semitic offenses recorded from October 7 to November 7, 2023, was 679, compared to 50 in the same period the previous year and 81 in 2021.

Dr. Dave Rich, the CST's policy director, noted the correlation between the rise in anti-Semitic hate and the use of offensive Holocaust references. He stressed the importance of educating people about the true horrors committed by the Nazis to mitigate such incidents of hate. Photo by Mary-Grace Blaha Schexnayder, Wikimedia commons.