Jews four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than other faith groups, CAA analysis of Home Office stats shows

An analysis by Campaign Against Antisemitism of new Home Office statistics released this week shows that Jews are more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

Police forces across the country record hate crimes against Jews as religious hate crimes, and these records show that in the year 2020/21, 1,288 hate crimes were committed against Jews, making Jews the target in 20% – more than one in five – of the total number of religious hate crimes.

These figures mean that there is an average of over three hate crimes directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales. Hate crimes against Jews are also still widely believed to be under-reported, and also do not reflect the extent of antisemitic material and abuse on social media.

However, when one accounts for the miniscule size of the Jewish population, it emerges that Jews are statistically more than four times more likely to be the targets of hate crimes than any other religious group, with some 489 hate crimes per 100,000 of the Jewish population in 2020/21.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Once again, Home Office figures show that Jews are far more likely to be victims of hate crimes than any other religious group. Contrast this with the pitiful number of prosecutions for antisemitic hate crimes, and it throws into high relief the failure of the Crown Prosecution Service to take proportionate action against racism directed at the Jewish community. With England and Wales’ minuscule Jewish community suffering an average of more than three hate crimes every single day, identifying, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators is absolutely urgent.”