Offensive graffiti including swastikas found on Worthing playground equipment

Swastikas and antisemitic graffiti have been discovered on playground equipment in Palatine Park in Worthing. The symbols were daubed alongside phrases including “heil Hitler” and derogatory references to Jewish people, prompting concern locally.

The incident comes amid a wider rise in antisemitic incidents across the UK. Home Office figures published in October reported 106 religious hate crimes per 10,000 population targeted at Jewish people in the year to March 2025, the highest rate among all faith groups in England and Wales.

Data from the Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 anti-Jewish incidents in 2025, the second-highest annual total on record, with more than 200 cases reported in every month of the year.

Recent incidents nationally and regionally have included arrests following an attack on Jewish community vehicles in London, as well as an antisemitic assault in Shoreham that led to a suspended prison sentence. Sussex Police and Worthing Borough Council have been approached for comment regarding the graffiti at Palatine Park.