Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are on the rise in London over the past year.

In July of 2013, the Metropolitan police in London recorded 258 reported anti-Semitic attacks. One year later, in July 2014, they had recorded 499 reported attacks. Attacks against Muslims increased by 70% to 816 offenses.

In 2015, they have seen an astonishing 93.4% rise in anti-Semitic crimes. The Metropolitan police told IBTimes that these numbers could be attributed to a number of things, including “increased reporting” of hate crimes and increased focus on events elsewhere. In fact, some of these crimes were recorded right around the time of Charlie Hebdo. Due to these recent events in London, many “communities… are feeling anxious.” Neighborhood police teams have been formed and provide greater reassurance in “key areas at key times.”

Violence in London

The rise in hate crimes against Islam can be attributed to a number of events that have occurred around the world. One of the biggest “trigger events”, according to the Community Security Trust’s spokesperson, has been the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the Israeli war in Gaza. These events lead to an increase in reporting these crimes, allowing the Metropolitan police to get a real look at the numbers in comparison to the past. According to Metropolitan police, there has been a huge rise between now and last year. However, there has been a general increase in anti-Semitic crimes since 2000, though there was a slight decline from 2010 to 2013.

The police have said that the attackers tend to target Muslim women than Muslim men. Muslim women can be more readily recognized, as many wear their garb. These women are often alone and with at least one child. These attackers are the kind of cowards that would rather harm children and women than take on a man. Due to these statistics and facts, the neighborhood police teams have stationed themselves during school routing, holy days and for prayer times.

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