Antisemitism on UK campuses continued to rise last year, watchdog says

Antisemitic incidents at British universities rose 14 percent in the 2025/26 academic year, remaining far above pre-October 7 levels and prompting warnings that universities must do more to protect Jewish students and staff.

The Community Security Trust, a nonprofit that monitors antisemitism and provides security for British Jews, recorded 95 university-related antisemitic incidents in 2025/26, up from 83 the previous year.

The 178 incidents recorded across the two academic years were fewer than the 272 reported in 2023/24, immediately after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, but the latest annual figure was still 79% higher than the 53 incidents recorded in 2022/23, the last academic year before the attack.

“Figures have fallen from their post October 7, 2023, peak but are still far higher than before that dreadful day,” CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner said in a statement.

CST recorded 149 incidents of abusive behavior, accounting for 84% of the total. The report also documented two incidents of extreme violence in 2024/25 — the first such university-related incidents ever recorded by CST — as well as six assaults, eight cases of damage or desecration, 10 threats and three incidents involving mass-produced antisemitic literature. Five of the damage and desecration cases occurred in student accommodation.

Students were the largest identifiable perpetrator group, responsible for 61 incidents, while university staff were responsible for 16 and student societies or representatives for 28. Jewish students were the most common victims, accounting for 63% of incidents where the victim was known.

“It is particularly troubling that a growing proportion of the anti-Jewish actions involve university staff, who carry authority and make victims feel especially vulnerable,” Gardner said. “Universities have a duty to ensure that Jewish students and staff can study, work and participate on campus the same as anyone else.”

The report found that 83% of incidents contained political, religious or ideological elements, while 62% referenced Israel, Gaza, Hamas, the October 7 attack, or the Middle East conflict alongside anti-Jewish language, motivation or targeting. Criticism of Israel or Zionism is not inherently antisemitic, CST noted.

British Education Secretary Lucy Powell called the findings “deeply troubling,” saying that “No student should have to choose between expressing their identity and feeling safe on campus, yet for too many Jewish students that remains a reality.

“We expect universities to take a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism,” Powell said, adding that the government provides training to help university staff identify and respond to incidents.