Sadiq Khan has predicted the possible rise in hate crime in Britain as violence flared anew in the Middle East. At the same time, a leading British Jewish group has sounded a note of caution over the risk of “reprisal” attacks here.
On his part, the London mayor has issued a warning following a series of Israeli airstrikes against targets in Lebanon that have killed Hezbollah’s top leaders as well as its followers and are feared to kill scores of civilians. Khan has been pumping extra emergency funding into groups in London countering hate.
Tensions have risen higher since a 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, followed by relentless onslaught on Gaza with hefty civilian casualties. British officials also fear that the tension will go unabated following riots led by far-right-wing forces during this summer.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Matt Twist stated: “As the situation in the Middle East becomes less certain once again, we know that fears and tensions will rise here at home too. Together, we are determined to demonstrate that there will be no tolerance for hate crime in London.”
Jewish communities have faced serious spikes in hate crimes after the 7 October attacks against Israel, and so have Muslims in Britain. Israeli’s showdown with the Iran-backed Hezbollah is raising fears that the Britain government-designated terrorist group may hit Jewish targets abroad as a form of revenge against Israel.
The Iranian regime has targeted dissidents in the UK, a move that reveals that it is also willing and ready to conduct business on British soil. The Community Security Trust, which leads the Jewish security efforts in Britain, said, “Hezbollah and Iran have a long record of terrorism against Jewish and Israeli targets around the world, especially as a form of reprisal.”.
‘It is certainly possible they may look to do something overseas to avenge [the assassinated Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah’s death, and this is something that forms an important part of our security planning.”
The CST also warned over the weekend that a more heated Middle East crisis could signal a new wave of antisemitic attacks and terrorist attacks against the Jewish diaspora.
K Khan said, “We know that rising conflict in the Middle East tends to be followed by a rising tide of hate crime here in London. We have seen an appalling and completely unacceptable rise in hate crime over the last year – particularly antisemitism and Islamophobia – which has profoundly impacted our Jewish and Muslim communities in London.
Khan said he was already spending £15m to “support victims of hate crime and tackle hate and extremism in London.” The Lebanon crisis, which may escalate further if a feared Israeli ground invasion takes place, is prompting another £875,000 of spending on tackling anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hatred, including online.
It will go to “grassroots community projects to tackle hate, intolerance, extremism, radicalization and terrorism,” a spokesperson for the London mayor said. The Met recorded a 286% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in the 12 months from September 2023 to August 2024, compared with the same period last year, and a 67% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period.
It will build bridges across communities, embrace what we have in common, and help ensure Londoners of all backgrounds and faiths feel welcome to walk through our streets and to live without fear of persecution, said Khan.
