February 03 , 2006
Photos of the UK's Prince Harry in a Nazi uniform led to a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the UK last year. The prince wore the uniform to a fancy dress party in January 2005 and photographs later appeared in the press. The prince later apologized for the controversy he had caused. The newly published annual report from the UK's anti-Semitism watchdog, the Community Security Trust, reveals that in 10 anti-Semitic incidents the perpetrators referred directly to Prince Harry. The body also said that comments by Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, in which he likened a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard, had provoked a similar number of incidents.
The report found that there were 455 anti-Semitic incidents in Britain in 2005, ranging from serious attacks to offensive graffiti. Whilst this is a 15% reduction in incidents from the previous year that reflects the dramatic increase in incidents in 2004 and 2005 represents the 2nd highest number of incidents ever. The Incidents included 82 violent assaults and two of extreme violence when a Jewish religious student was stabbed in Manchester and when 15 youths tried to set a Jewish man on fire in London.
