Anti-Israel protesters in London (archive)
Anti-Israel protesters in London (archive)Reuters

A Conservative Party delegate was subjected to anti-Semitic abuse from protesters outside a conference in Manchester, he told The Jewish Chronicle on Thursday.

The delegate, Stephen Woods, chairman of the Conservative Sale East and Wythenshawe Association, was leaving the center with a group of Jewish friends, wearing kippot, on Sunday.

“The abuse we had to endure was despicable, with a number of protesters screaming ‘Jewish Tory scum, get back to Auschwitz,’” Woods told The Chronicle.

“I have never heard such vile language. The whole incident left us all shaken up,” hre recalled.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Conservative party conference over three days to protest against austerity.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said it had “not received any reports in relation to this matter.”

“GMP will not stand for any incidents of anti-Semitism and officers policing the conference were given clear direction to take action against any individual who goes beyond peaceful protest into unlawful actions,” the spokesman added.

“As a result, officers are arresting and charging those we believe to be responsible for any offenses committed against either delegates or protesters,” he said.

“If anyone has been a victim of any such incident, they are encouraged to please report this to the police and we will investigate.”

The incident is just the latest in a series of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain. The European Jewish Congress recently released a damning report revealing a spike in anti-Semitism throughout Europe, with the UK leading the way for the most anti-Semitic countries. 

In one incident in July, a Holocaust survivor who set up a pro-Israel stall at a trade union festival was hounded from the event by pro-Palestinian campaigners who called him a “Nazi”.

Anti-Semitism in Britain has been at the forefront of the news recently, with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as head of the Labour party.

Corbyn has stirred up controversy due to his anti-Israel comments and by calling Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends".

British Jews have voiced deep concern over Corbyn’s disturbing links to a wide range of extremists, spanning far-right holocaust deniers, an anti-Semitic Christian minister and Islamist terrorist groups.