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Rising tide of anti-semitism in Britain as Jewish people face backlash over bloodshed in Gaza

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2707421/Rising-tide-anti-semitism-Britain-Jewish-people-face-backlash-bloodshed-Gaza.html

Over 100 hate crimes recorded this month, more than double usual number

Attackers invoke the Holocaust and even shout ‘Heil Hitler’ at victims

Bricks thrown at Belfast's only synagogue, smashing windows

Rabbi attacked by four Muslim teenagers outside school in Gateshead

Bomb threat and stones thrown at a boy on a bike in North London

Jewish people in Britain are enduring a backlash of attacks, bomb threats and anti-semitic insults fuelled by the bloodshed in Gaza.

More than 100 hate crimes have been recorded by police and community groups this month, more than double the usual number.

Community safety groups fear the total could be the second highest ever recorded, after an explosion of violence during the 2009 Gaza war.

In several disturbing cases attackers have invoked the Holocaust and even shouted: ‘Heil Hitler’ at victims.

A rabbi was attacked by four Muslim teenagers outside a Jewish boarding school in Gateshead in one of the most serious incidents.

In Belfast, bricks were thrown at the city’s only synagogue, smashing windows on two consecutive nights.

Groups of Asian men chanted 'Heil Hitler’ as they drove through a Jewish area of Manchester, throwing missiles at passers-by.

In north London, one pro-Israel organisation received a telephone bomb threat and a Jewish boy riding a bicycle had a stone thrown at his head by a woman in a niqab.

More than 100 incidents have been reported to the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that helps to protect Jews, since the start of this month.

The surge in attacks and threats follows a similar trend in 2009, when up to 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the Gaza war.

Mark Gardner, of the CST, said the figure is ‘at least double’ what the community safety group would expect to see.

He said: ‘We have had at least double the number of incidents that we would expect, but the situation is not out of hand – as is the case in France.

‘The community is aware and alert but not panicking and life continues exactly how it should.’

More than 1,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have died as a result of Israel’s military strikes against Hamas, Gaza’s Islamist rulers, since the start of the conflict.

Images of the bloodshed and wholesale destruction of impoverished neighbourhoods has led to international condemnation of the violence.

Forty Israeli soldiers and three civilians have also been killed in fighting aimed at stopping Hamas firing rockets across the border.

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In Britain, peaceful protests against the violence have been marred by vile placards including one declaring: ‘Hitler you were right!’

At a Central London march, protesters confronted a Jewish woman with her two young children and told them: ‘Burn in hell.’

Thousands of protesters yesterday marched in central London against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Activists and supporters of the Palestinian cause gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, west London, before marching towards Parliament Square.

Carrying Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as Stop the Killing and Free Palestine, the protesters chanted 'Israel is a terror state', 'Gaza don't you cry, we will never let you die' and 'Allahu Akbar' (god is great).

There has been also been an explosion of anti-semitic abuse on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.

One man called for a Jewish neighbourhood in London to be bombed so ‘Jews feel the pain’ of the Palestinians.

In a separate incident, a BBC journalist was reprimanded after seeming to suggest western politicians failed to intervene in the Middle East because they had been ‘bought’ by the Jews.

The anti-semitic backlash has been mirrored on the other side of the Channel where there have been even more violent scenes.

Thousands of police officers were deployed in Berlin today as the authorities in Paris sought to ban further marches.
Protesters in France, which has the world’s third largest Jewish population, have attacked synagogues, smashed the windows of Jewish-owned businesses and set others on fire.

In Germany an Imam reportedly called on Muslims to murder ‘Zionist Jews’ and Jewish people have been attacked in the street.
Police had to step in to protect an Israeli tourist couple from protesters who charged at them shouting ‘Jew! We’ll get you.’