UK antisemitic incidents surge 36pc in 2016

LONDON: Antisemitic incidents in Britain surged by 36 percent in 2016 to a record high, according to a new report by a Jewish group released on Thursday.

The Community Security Trust (CST) said 1,309 antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2016, well above the previous record of 1,182 incidents in 2014.

Most of the incidents were classed as "abusive behaviour", including verbal abuse, hate mail and graffiti.

The CST blamed the rise on a series of factors, including heated debates over alleged antisemitism in the main opposition Labour Party and the Brexit referendum.

Incidents were spread more uniformly throughout the year, with over 100 incidents recorded every month from May to December.