The UK government announced Thursday £3 million ($3.7 million) of extra funding to help protect the Jewish community from antisemitic attacks, after a reported 400 per cent spike in incidents since Hamas’s weekend attacks in Israel.
The money will go to the Community Security Trust (CST), an organisation established to protect British Jews from hate attacks and related threats.
It said 139 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the last four days, a 400 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.
The CST works closely with the police to secure Jewish community buildings and events.
The new funding will enable it to place additional guards in schools it supports.
The organisation will also place additional security staff outside synagogues on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, according to a government statement.
“At moments like this, when the Jewish people are under attack in their homeland, Jewish people everywhere can feel less safe,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.
“That is why we must do everything in our power to protect Jewish people everywhere in our country. If anything is standing in the way of keeping the Jewish community safe, we will fix it. You have our complete backing.”
Sunak convened senior ministers, police chiefs and the CST in Downing Street Thursday for a discussion on protecting British communities and policing protests.
It comes ahead of expected protests and marches taking place across the UK this weekend over the conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
