A/HRC/41/54/Add.2 Hate campaign, which aims to persuade advertisers to refrain from cooperating with publications that spread hate and division. 94 65. The Special Rapporteur recalls that, with respect to Brexit, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was deeply concerned that the referendum campaign was marked by divisive, anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric, and that many politicians and prominent political figures not only failed to condemn such rhetoric, but also created and entrenched prejudices, thereby emboldening individuals to carry out acts of intimidation and hate towards ethnic or ethno-religious minority communities and people who are visibly different (CERD/C/GBR/CO/21-23, para. 15). These observations and concerns were reiterated by various stakeholders in their consultations with the Special Rapporteur and backed by reports documenting the steady mainstreaming of racist, xenophobic, anti-refugee and anti-migrant discourses in official and unofficial “leave” campaigns.95 66. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has also expressed serious concern about the increase in racist hate crimes in the weeks prior to and following the Brexit referendum (CERD/C/GBR/CO/21-23, para. 15). Representatives of racial and ethnic minority communities have reiterated these concerns. They have reported an increase in attacks against minority groups, including on community centres and places of worship, immediately after the Brexit referendum and noted that even racial and ethnic minority Britons were attacked. They expressed concern that the increase in hate crimes was directly connected to the growing anti-immigrant backlash fostered by some political actors ahead of the referendum. 67. Statistics clearly show an increase in hate crimes in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. For example, in the days following the referendum, the Government reported a spike in the number of hate crimes in England and Wales.96 In 2016/17, police recorded 80,393 hate crime offences, of which 78 per cent were classified as race hate crimes and 7 per cent as religious hate crimes. This figure represents a 29 per cent increase compared with the previous year and the highest percentage increase since 2011. 97 According to an October 2018 report, during 2017/18 hate crimes increased by 17 per cent compared with the previous year, confirming an upward trend that partly reflects improved police recording but also the spikes of violence that followed events such as the 2017 terrorist attacks and the Brexit referendum.98 68. Civil society highlighted an increase in anti-Semitic hate speech and violence during and after the referendum. In 2017, anti-Semitic incidents reached a record level in the United Kingdom, with 1,382 such incidents recorded nationwide. This figure represents a 3 per cent increase compared to 2016, and was the highest annual total recorded since 1984. 99 Researchers underscored the gendered nature of vulnerability to anti-Semitic threats. Online, hate campaigns notably targeted women, including those in positions of leadership, whereas physical violence was more a concern for orthodox men, especially when en route to and from synagogue. 69. Jewish organizations with which the Special Rapporteur consulted commended the Government’s efforts to address anti-Semitic hate speech and extreme-right wing parties glorifying Nazism. Community representatives noted that they have been able to build 94 95 96 97 98 99 18 https://stopfundinghate.info. See, e.g., www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/21/vote-leave-prejudice-turkey-eu-security-threat and www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/16/nigel-farage-defends-ukip-breaking-point-posterqueue-of-migrants. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/652136/hate-crime-1617-hosb1717.pdf, pp. 1, 4–7 and 15. Ibid. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/748598/hate-crime-1718-hosb2018.pdf, p. 7. https://cst.org.uk/data/file/a/b/IR17.1517308734.pdf, pp. 4–5. See also https://cst.org.uk/data/file/8/8/Annual%20Review%202017%20web.1521476984.pdf and www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/01/antisemitic-incidents-in-uk-at-all-time-high.