There has been a 1,353% increase in antisemitic offences and a 140% rise in Islamophobic offences between 1 and 18 October, the Metropolitan Police has said.

218 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared to 15 in the same period last year, have been recorded by the force, while offences targeting Muslims were up from 42 to 101.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “It is not acceptable and I promise we will investigate.”

The Met has made 21 hate crime arrests, including a man this week held on suspicion of defacing posters of missing Israelis in Camden, north London, and another man held over 10 incidents of alleged Islamophobic graffiti on bus stops in New Malden and Raynes Park, southwest London.

It comes amid increasing tensions in the UK sparked by the Israel-Hamas war with another large pro-Palestine protest planned on Saturday.

Last weekend’s demonstration saw a stage erected near the Cenotaph in Whitehall, which attracted heavy criticism, and police said the platform will be instead set up in nearby King Charles Street.

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