Anti-Semitic crimes in France doubled in 2009 and were up 55 percent in Britain, coinciding with the Gaza war.
In France, the Jewish Community Protection Service counted 832 anti-Semitic acts committed last year, compared to 474 in 2008, according to a report made public earlier this month. Of the incidents, 354 — or 42 percent —took place in January, during Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
By February, the number of monthly anti-Semitic acts was down to 62 and by the summer, the number had dropped below those of 2008 for the most part.
The British Community Security Trust said the 55 percent increase in anti-Semitism compared to 2009 was made up of 924 incidents — the most since records have been kept.
The main rise in attacks was recorded in January and February, during and after Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the CST annual report, the 628 incidents in the first six months of 2009 were more than in any entire previous year. There were 296 incidents from July to December. — jta