For the first time in three years, hate crime in England and Wales is on the rise. The latest statistics released by the Home Office, showing religiously motivated offences at a record level, are deeply disturbing. But for those who have witnessed some of the appalling scenes on our city’s streets in recent months, they will not be surprising.

Over the past two years, Jewish people have faced a rising tide of antisemitism, and the heinous terrorist attack in Manchester on Yom Kippur was a terrible reminder of just how pervasive this poisonous form of hatred continues to be. Between January and June, the Community Security Trust reported more than 1,500 antisemitic incidents. A survey by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found that 35% of Jewish people feel unsafe in the UK.

A terrifying increase in anti-Muslim hatred has left many British Muslims feeling the same way. Two days after the horrific events at Heaton Park synagogue, a mosque was set alight in Peacehaven. A suspected arson with the intent to endanger life, it was the latest in a long line of violent assaults on Muslim places of worship. In July, one man was sentenced after videoing himself releasing wild rats next to a mosque in Sheffield. In the same week, another pleaded guilty to terrorism offences after planning to burn down a mosque in Greenock.

The idea that attacks against our Jewish and Muslim communities are isolated incidents is........

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