Hate crime complaints in the Big Apple dramatically increased last month compared to October 2022, mostly due to a sharp increase in anti-Jewish acts, based on figures issued by the New York Police Department on Wednesday.
The city recorded a staggering 214% increase in anti-Jewish events last month, in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict, which started on October 7 when the terrorist organization launched an unexpected attack on the Jewish state, murdering 1,400 people.
According to the most recent data, there were 69 offenses targeting Jewish victims reported in October, up from just 22 in the same month the previous year. The NYPD announced that its Hate Crime Task Force was looking into the jump, which contributed to a 124% increase in hate crimes overall. As a result, there were 101 bias incidents recorded last month, up from 45 in October 2022.
Furthermore, data indicate that whereas there were no recorded anti-Muslim incidents in October 2022, there eight in October 2023 alone.
Overall, the total number of hate crime complaints this year has decreased by 9%, according to the statistics, with 485 recorded until the end of October as opposed to 531 during the same period last year.
Last month, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated that the bulk of recent antisemitic crimes have been tied to graffiti, criminal damage, and aggravated harassment, with only a few assaults reported.
In one such attack, which was reported at noon on Wednesday, authorities stated that a 29-year-old male was struck in the back of the head with an unidentified item near the intersection of Ludlam Place and Sullivan Place in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens by an unknown person who appeared to be motivated by anti-Semitic hate.
According to the most recent NYPD data, there was a 5.7% increase in reported crime within the city’s transportation system last month, with 223 occurrences recorded as opposed to 211 in October 2022.
