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Surge in attacks on Jews linked to better reporting

Jonathan Brown
Wednesday 01 February 2012 20:00 EST

Manchester's Jewish community reported nearly three times as many anti-Semitic attacks last year as were reported in London.

Figures compiled by the Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity, revealed 586 incidents in the city compared with 201 in the capital which is home to seven times as many Jews as Manchester.

Among the most serious examples, which included vandalism and desecration of property, was a woman who was knocked over by a car at a petrol station. The occupants spat at her and shouted "dirty Jew", the report said.

Police and community leaders said the disparity was due to improved reporting of attacks by Manchester's 21,700-strong Jewish community, the second largest in the UK and one of the biggest in Europe.

Overall, the number of incidents nationally fell by more than a third from 2009, when a record 929 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded, fuelled by the ground invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces.

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