Antisemitic hate crimes in London surge 72% in May 2026 compared to April
Antisemitic hate crimes in London surged 72% in May from the previous month, according to new Metropolitan Police statistics.
Police recorded 255 antisemitic hate crimes in May 2026, up from 148 in April and 172% higher than the 91 incidents recorded in May 2025.
Most incidents were concentrated in Barnet, home to the Jewish neighborhoods of Golders Green, Hendon, and Finchley. Hackney, Westminster, Camden, and Haringey followed. At least one antisemitic hate crime was recorded in 28 of London’s 32 boroughs in May.
Of the 2,251 hate crimes logged that month, 1,977 were classified as racist or religious crimes, 1,629 as racist, 472 as faith crimes, 263 as homophobic, and 179 as Islamophobic.
“This sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes reflects the daily experiences of the Jewish community in London and corresponds to similar data recorded by CST over the same period,” a spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST) said.
“Most disturbing of all is that this increase appears to have been triggered by the series of arson attacks on the Jewish community and the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green at the end of April.
“This means that, as we saw after the October 7 attack in Israel and after the terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, attacks on Jews lead to more antisemitism, not less.”
CST welcomed increased police resources in Jewish community areas and efforts by the Crown Prosecution Service to bring prosecutions to court more quickly.
