UK Jewish groups condemn hate crimes in wake of Brexit vote

Jewish groups in Britain condemn the uptick in racist harassment and other hate crimes in the wake of the country’s vote to leave the European Union.

There has been a 57 percent rise in reported hate crimes and racial incidents since the June 23 referendum, according to reports.

The Community Security Trust, the security arm of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom, tells JTA on Tuesday that it has not observed any increase in expressions of anti-Semitism in the wake of the vote.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews in a statement issued earlier this week calls on the government, civil society and businesses to make it “absolutely clear that EU nationals and other minorities resident in the United Kingdom are protected and valued.”

“It is important during these times of political uncertainty in our country to ensure that nobody feels vulnerable and threatened,” says the statement from the board’s chief executive, Gillian Merron.

Merron adds: “The Jewish community knows all too well these feelings of vulnerability and will not remain silent in the face of a reported rise in racially motivated harassment.”

— JTA