Britain’s Jewish population has been warned there is a “significant” threat to their communities from Islamic State terrorists as Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed Jews had been identified as a “legitimate and desirable target”by jihadists.
Speaking at the annual fundraising dinner for the Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity that works with police to counter anti-Semitic hate crimes, Rudd described anti-Semitism as a “deplorable form of hatred” and said the government is making a £13.4 million contribution to protect threatened Jewish sites.
She said: “There have been terrorist attacks on our doorstep, in France, Germany and Belgium and attacks on British people overseas. We’ve seen terrorists target Jews specifically in recent years including in Paris, Brussels, Toulouse and Copenhagen.
“Just last month a 16-year-old girl was charged with terrorism offences in Denmark after she was caught planning to blow up a Jewish school. And Daesh literature continues to identify the Jewish community as a ‘desirable and legitimate target’.”
She added: “It is vital we ensure the safety and security of our Jewish community and this Government will continue to do all we can to stamp out these vile attacks and encourage those who experience them to come forward.”
Prime Minister Theresa May provided a video message welcoming guests to the dinner. She thanked CST for its work and pledged:
“As Prime Minister there is one thing I want you to know: I am with you, and we will defeat this evil together. For as long as I am Prime Minister there will be no excuses for any kind of hatred towards the Jewish people… let us reaffirm our resolve with confidence that hatred will never prevail in our country. Together we will keep Jewish people safe in Britain, and together we will defeat the scourge of antisemitism by standing up for our values and our way of life, today and for every generation to come.”
As Breitbart News has reported, the warning to UK’s Jewish community comes as a recent study shows anti-Semitic hate incidents are surging to record highs in Britain.
The CST said last month there were on average more than three anti-Semitic incidents per day in 2016.
It said there were 1,309 incidents last year, a 36 percent increase over the year before. It is the highest total since the group started keeping records in 1984.
Most of the incidents involved verbal abuse, hate mail and graffiti. There were also 81 cases of vandalism and damage to Jewish property.
The charity said there is no single explanation for the rise in incidents.
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