British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday a £54 million ($68 million) increase in funding aimed at protecting Jewish communities from antisemitism over the next four years.

The announcement comes after the Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish advisory body, reported thousands of antisemitic incidents in Britain following the outbreak of conflict on October 7th, making 2023 the worst year for antisemitism in the UK since records began in 1984.

"It is shocking and unacceptable, the prejudice and racism we have witnessed in recent months," stated Sunak during a speech at the annual dinner of the CST, as per extracts released by his office.

"This is pure and simple hatred—an attack on the Jewish people. We will combat this antisemitism with all our resources."

In addition to the new funding, the government had previously allocated £18 million to the CST for the fiscal year 2024-2025, bringing the total funding until 2028 to £70 million. This funding will be utilized to enhance security measures at various Jewish establishments nationwide, including schools and synagogues. The measures will include the deployment of security guards, installation of closed-circuit TV (CCTV) systems, and implementation of alarm systems. Photo by Beny Shlevich, Wikimedia commons.