At the Community Security Trust's (CST) annual dinner last night (Wednesday 28th February), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to give the organisation, which was established to protect Jewish community sites, more than £70 million over the next 4 years, as part of the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant. The funding will increase security at a range of Jewish buildings across the country, including schools, synagogues and other facilities used by the Jewish community.
The £54 million of new funding announced today is the biggest single financial commitment any government has made to protect Jewish communities. It comes on top of the £18 million already given to CST for 2024 to 2025 and will mean the organisation's crucial work is funded until 2028. The funding will provide protective security measures such as security guards, CCTV and alarm systems at Jewish educational sites and other Jewish community centres, as well as a number of synagogues. By guaranteeing this level of funding for the next 4 years, the government is providing Jewish communities with reassurance and certainty in the face of increased antisemitic incidents.
A recent report from CST showed the organisation recorded 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023, the highest total ever reported to CST in a single calendar year and an increase of 147% compared to 2022. The figures spiked after the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict - 1,330 of these abhorrent incidents were reported to CST in October 2023, more than the 3 previous highest monthly totals combined.
Speaking at the dinner, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
It is shocking, and wrong, the prejudice, the racism we have seen in recent months.
It is hatred, pure and simple. An assault on the Jewish people. We will fight this antisemitism with everything we've got.
As Prime Minister I will lead this government in a long-term effort to strengthen your security, defend our liberal democratic values and change our culture so we tackle the root causes of this hatred.
We know CST is going to be needed for many years to come. So tonight, I am changing the way CST is funded to help you plan for the long-term… with the biggest financial commitment that any government has ever made.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said:
The rise in antisemitic hatred and abuse we have seen in the UK in recent months is absolutely sickening.
It is crucial that Jewish adults and children are free to go about their daily lives without fear of intimidation, abuse or harm - and importantly, feel safe to do so.
Committing this largest ever funding for security to protect Jewish communities will give people the certainty and confidence they will be kept safer for the foreseeable future. We are also working with the police to ensure that hate crime and expressions of support for the terrorist organisation Hamas are met with the full force of the law.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:
Since the October 7 attacks, we've seen a shameful rise in antisemitism across the world, including in the UK.
We won't hesitate to take action to keep British Jews safe. That's why today's package of support is the largest ever made by the government to tackle antisemitism, and to ensure their protection and safety.
The government remains committed to ensuring abhorrent hate offences are stamped out - which is why we have a robust legislative framework to tackle hate crime wherever it is found.
The government provided an additional £3 million for the Community Security Trust to provide additional security in October 2023, raising the funding to £18 million a year.
The additional £3 million has been used to offer additional support to more than 480 existing or new Jewish community locations, including schools and synagogues.
Nearly 200 schools and more than 250 synagogues have been able to hire more security guards, or increase the number of guarding hours from existing security guards.
This announcement follows today's confirmation that £31 million will be made available to protect democratic processes and institutions in response to growing threats.
The government also condemns the recent rise in reported anti-Muslim hatred. We expect the police to fully investigate all hate crimes and work with the CPS to make sure the cowards who commit these appalling offences feel the full force of the law.
An additional £4.9 million was also made available in October for protective security at mosques and Muslim faith schools. This brought total funding for 2023 to 2024 to £29.4 million, which the government confirmed will also be maintained in 2024 to 2025.
The new Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides physical security measures, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing, to mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres. Protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools.
