The number of antisemitic hate crimes recorded in London jumped by 72% in May compared with the previous month, according to Metropolitan Police figures published by Britain’s Independent newspaper.
The data show 255 antisemitic incidents in May, up from 148 in April — the sharpest monthly rise since late 2023.
According to an analysis of the figures, many of the antisemitic incidents were recorded in Barnet, north London, home to a large Jewish community and including Golders Green, Hendon and Finchley. The borough reported 76 cases, about 30% of all such offenses in the city. Dozens of antisemitic incidents were also recorded in Hackney, Westminster, Camden, Haringey and Tower Hamlets.
Notable incidents in May included the arson of a former synagogue in Whitechapel on May 5, and a video circulated on social media in which a man threatened that “Jews will be beheaded,” prompting police intervention in Tower Hamlets.
Man threatens 'Jews will be beheaded'
(Video: Shomrim London)
At the same time, anti-Muslim hate crimes also rose sharply. In May, 179 Islamophobic offenses were recorded, a 33% increase from April and the highest monthly figure since August 2024.
The figures come against the backdrop of a new government report on antisemitism in Britain’s health care system, which found evidence of “systematic exclusion” of Jews. Its author, Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, warned that the scale of anti-Jewish racism in Britain “constitutes a national emergency.”