Barnet tops list of faith and antisemitic crimes

Barnet has topped the list of boroughs that suffer from anti-Semitic and faith crimes, the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee heard. The borough also came second in London for the volume of racist and religious crimes. Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore said this showed how dangerous is the rise of extremist politics for public safety and community cohesion.

Mr Dismore said:

‘We live at a time of extreme politics and polarisation, especially on the back of Brexit. Our Jewish community is particularly susceptible to being victims of crime by perpetrators from both extremes, hate pedlars on the right and conspiracy theorists on the left. It is a disgraceful necessity that so many Jewish children go to school surrounded by high security and guards. Those responsible for overt racism, which in the past might have been below the radar, have become emboldened by the deep divisions that Brexit and terrorist incidents have thrown up. Whilst we have such divisive politics, the police must continue to prioritise hate crime in all its forms; and we all must challenge the role of fake news and misleading social media which provide a platform for evil ideas and the oxygen on which hate can thrive.’

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