WFCN –
June saw 45 anti-Jewish hate crimes registered by the New York Police Department, continuing the upsurge in antisemitism that began eight months ago, on October 7, when Hamas invaded Israel.
Compared to June of last year, when 19 antisemitic acts were recorded to the police, this year’s total was more than double. Last month, 57% of the hate crimes registered to the New York Police Department involved Jews.
The invasion of Israel on October 7th triggered a dramatic increase in hate crimes against Jews, with 69 reported in October and 62 in November.
The following months saw a wide range of numbers: 17 in February, 43 in March, and 32 in April. While May saw 55 antisemitic incidents—the highest total in six months—last month, the number dropped. It seems like every month there is a new hate crime targeting Jews.
Security officers of Jewish descent have speculated that the city’s history of anti-Israel demonstrations could be influencing the variability. The mayor’s office reports that since October 7, over a thousand protests pertaining to Israel have taken place in the city.
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Police received 79 reports of hate crimes last month. Out of these, 17 were based on sexual orientation, 3 were motivated by anti-Asian animosity, 2 were targeting Black people, 4 were against other ethnicities, 3 were against the Hispanic community, 3 were motivated by Islamophobia, and 2 were against other religions.
This data is preliminary and may vary based on other factors, such as an inquiry revealing that an alleged discriminatory altercation was not driven by bigotry.
Not all hate crimes that are reported end up in prosecutions or arrests, and the original count can be changed later on. It is difficult to bring charges since the legal threshold for establishing prejudice is high.
Anti-Israel protesters often wear masks, which has impeded the prosecution of certain cases, according to Jewish security authorities. A bill to prohibit the wearing of masks at public events is being advanced by legislators in New York in an effort to reduce hate crimes.
One incident that occurred after October 7 is one of several that authorities are looking into. The suspect allegedly struck a Jewish Israeli near Times Square while yelling antisemitic slurs. Another case occurred in April when a man who was driving his car at Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn was charged with numerous hate crimes.
Both the prosecution and the resolution of other high-profile instances involving the Israel-Hamas conflict have ruled out the possibility of hate crimes.
The New York Police Department accused an anti-Israel activist of threatening “Zionists” aboard a subway car and detained him last month on charges of coercion. Prosecutors also sought to drop hate crime charges against a woman in October who was accused of assaulting an Israeli student on the Columbia University campus after the events of October 7.