It has been widely reported by various religious groups that there has been a sharp rise in the number of hate crimes against members of their faith. It prompted us to conduct our own research into the numbers reported to local police forces across the country.
What Is A Religious Hate Crime?
A religious hate crime is defined as a hostile act that’s motivated by a person’s religious beliefs. It’s important to note that the crime has to be perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by prejudice or hostility.
How We Conducted Our Research Into Religious Hate Crimes
To conduct our research and obtain the statistics that you can find below, we issued Freedom of Information requests to all police forces in the country.
Of the 44 police forces contacted, 35 (80%) responded within the deadline. We also obtained information from the British Transport Police.
You can find the results of our investigation below.
If you’d like to see a copy of the responses from police forces, please get in touch. We’re happy to share them.
The Results Of Our Research
Below, you can find the results of our research, broken down by police force
Metropolitan Police
Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police reported a rise of 553% in anti-Semitic hate crimes since the Hamas attack on Israel on October, 7, 2023.
In the months after the attack, the UK’s largest police force recorded a total of 1,371 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared with 210 during the same period the previous year.
Data obtained via Freedom of Information Request revealed an insight into the landscape of both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crime levels in the UK
Results suggest a significant rise in anti-Jewish hate crime in larger police force areas since the Hamas attack.
Some forces also recorded a rise in Islamophobic offences, though the picture is more mixed.
A wave of protests against the Gaza war has swept US College Campuses in recent weeks, leading to a huge number of arrests.
Now, UK students are beginning a new round of protests against the Gaza War.
The continued political tensions seem to be reflected in the staggering new figures reported by the Met Police.
The force revealed that between October 2023 and January 2024, a total 1,371 anti-Semitic hate crimes were logged by the Met Police.
Figures from the same period the previous year showed a total of 210 such hate crimes recorded by the Met – that is an increase of 553% in the months after the Hamas attack.
Anti-Jewish Hate Crime – Met Police
| Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | Total |
| 521 | 413 | 230 | 207 | 1,371 |
| Oct 22 | Nov 22 | Dec 22 | Jan 23 | Total |
| 39 | 41 | 36 | 58 | 210 |
The picture was similar for anti-Muslim hate crime during the same time.
Between October 2023- January 2024, a total of 692 Islamophobic hate crime offences were logged by the Met.
That’s an increase of 101% compared with the 344 recorded the year before.
Anti-Muslim Hate Crime – Met Police
| Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | Total |
| 208 | 247 | 123 | 114 | 692 |
| Oct 22 | Nov 22 | Dec 22 | Jan 23 | Total |
| 75 | 66 | 64 | 55 | 344 |
These figures are further substantiated by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which confirmed in April that prosecutors charged 10% more hate crime cases in the final three months of 2023.
Figures from the CPS’s Quarter 3 (October-December 2023) data show the increase in charges for hate crime flagged cases compared to the three months before.
Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Kris Venkatasami, the CPS’s Protest Lead said: “The rise in hate crime chargers since the beginning of 2023, but particularly in the last part of the year, is concerning for all communities who are deeply affected by each incident.
“Hate has no part to play in our society. Our consistently high level of charging demonstrates our determination and independence to seek justice in all cases.”
Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police
Greater Manchester Police
Religious Hate Crime Recorded by Greater Manchester Police
In the months after the October 2023 attack, GMP recorded a total of 228 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared with just 69 during the same period the previous year.
The force revealed that between October 2023 and February 2024, 228 anti-Semitic hate crimes were logged.
Figures from the same period the previous year showed a total of 69 such hate crimes recorded by GMP – that is an increase of 231% in the months after the Hamas attack.
Anti-Jewish Hate Crime – Greater Manchester Police
| Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | Feb 24 | Total |
| 82 | 66 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 228 |
| Oct 22 | Nov 22 | Dec 22 | Jan 23 | Feb 23 | Total |
| 13 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 69 |
The figures for Islamophobic hate crime during this time showed no significant increase or decrease compared with the previous year.
However, overall numbers show that there were almost triple the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes than anti-Semitic crimes between Oct 22- Feb 23.
Anti-Muslim Hate Crime – Greater Manchester Police
| Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | Feb 24 | Total |
| 38 | 48 | 38 | 29 | 25 | 178 |
| Oct 22 | Nov 22 | Dec 22 | Jan 23 | Feb 23 | Total |
| 45 | 37 | 42 | 22 | 32 | 178 |
West Midlands Police
Religious Hate Crime Recorded by West Midlands Police
In the months after the October 2023 attack, WMP recorded a total of 55 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared with just 13 during the same period the previous year.
The force revealed that between October 2023 and February 2024, a total 55 anti-Semitic hate crimes were logged.
Figures from the same period the previous year showed a total of 15 such hate crimes recorded by WMP – that is an increase of 323% in the months after the Hamas attack.
Anti-Jewish Hate Crime – West Midlands Police
| Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | Feb 24 | Total |
| 19 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 55 |
| Oct 22 | Nov 22 | Dec 22 | Jan 23 | Feb 23 | Total |
| 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
The figures for Islamophobic hate crime during this time show a decrease of 15% compared with the previous year.
However, overall crime incidents are substantially larger than anti-Jewish hate crime.
The number of anti-Muslim hate crimes during this period are almost triple that of anti-Semitic offences in the West Midlands.
Anti-Muslim Hate Crime – West Midlands Police
| Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | Feb 24 | Total |
| 21 | 36 | 27 | 30 | 26 | 140 |
| Oct 22 | Nov 22 | Dec 22 | Jan 23 | Feb 23 | Total |
| 38 | 30 | 24 | 34 | 35 | 161 |
Get Help If You’ve Been Assaulted Or Injured In A Religiously-Motivated Attack
If you’ve suffered an injury in a physical assault because of your religion or beliefs or perceived religion, you could be entitled to compensation. It’s possible to make a criminal injury claim from a government-funded body called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
At Legal Expert, we’re specialists in criminal injury compensation claims and we can help you too.
If you’d like to speak with us for free today, please call us on the number at the top of this page, speak with us via our live chat box, or click here to contact us in writing.
