Report details ‘terrible,’ normalized antisemitism at UK universities
Testimonials presented to House of Lords find sharp spike in anti-Jewish activities since Oct. 7, show Jewish students are ‘frightened’ to be on campuses
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Jewish university students across the United Kingdom are facing unprecedented levels of antisemitism, with many reporting being attacked, threatened and intimidated on campus, according to a new report by StandWithUs UK presented to the UK Parliament’s House of Lords on Wednesday night.
The report, which included findings and testimonials from Jewish students at more than a dozen universities across the UK, found that students feel less safe on campus since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023.
“This report confirms the terrible state that we have come to, where high levels of antisemitic abuse seem now to be normal on campus,” said Lord Howard Leigh during the debate following the report’s presentation, according to a transcript shared with The Times of Israel. “Antisemitism on campus is not new… but it has now grown to a very worrying level where Jewish students are actually frightened to go to a British university.”
Antisemitism has spiked around the world since the October 7 attacks, and UK Jews have suffered a sizable portion of it. A February report by the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit that monitors antisemitism and provides security for UK Jews, reported 3,528 antisemitic incidents in 2024, a figure that is second only to the 4,296 incidents recorded the year before. A separate study by UK-based Campaign Against Antisemitism found that only one-third of British Jews believe they have a long-term future in the United Kingdom, and half have considered leaving Britain in the past two years due to antisemitism.
The report by the UK arm of StandWithUs, an international Israel-education organization, included findings from an April 2024 survey of more than 1,000 non-Jewish students across 20 universities. It found that 64% of students were unwilling to call the October 7 attack “terrorism,” and 29% said they believed it was an “understandable act of resistance.” Meanwhile, 38% of students agreed that students who publicly support Israel should “expect” abuse on campus, while just 31% clearly rejected that notion.
“[This report] is littered with examples of loud and virulent support for Hamas and Hezbollah,” noted Lord John Cryer during the public debate. “These are both proscribed as terrorist organizations, and expressing support for proscribed organizations should be met with the full force of the law.”
The report documented numerous incidents of harassment, intimidation, and physical threats.
A student at King’s College described how he was nearly assaulted as an event focused on dialogue and understanding was shut down by anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian students who stormed the space. “Campus security later told me it was the worst violence they had seen since the encampments last year,” the student said.
A student at the University of Manchester said he spoke out after he saw other students celebrating the October 7 attacks on social media. “They responded by taking screenshots of my message and posting my full name, Instagram handle, and even my address online,” he testified. “What followed was terrifying: I received hundreds of messages, many of them threatening and abusive. I was harassed, doxxed, and publicly vilified simply for speaking out.”
Other students said they were told, “Your people should not be alive,” and that “There is no space for Zionists on campus, not now, not ever.” One recalled how they were shouted at simply for walking past the library, while another said she needed her brother to escort her to class for fear of being attacked.
Members of the House of Lords expressed shock at the report’s findings.
“Let me be clear: Denying Jewish students the right publicly to identify as Zionists, when for many Zionism is a core part of the Jewish identity, is a form of religious and cultural discrimination. It’s also probably illegal,” said Lord David Wolfson of Tredegar. “It boils down to this: a university where Jewish students are either not welcome or are made to feel that they are not welcome, is an institution which has entirely forfeited its right to call itself a university.”
The report concluded with a set of recommendations for universities and
policymakers to restore a sense of safety for Jewish students on campus.
These include acknowledging the link between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, clarifying universities’ responsibilities, establishing clear consequences for misbehavior, and expelling students who promote or incite hate and violence.
The report also recommended establishing oversight mechanisms to monitor and evaluate university responses to antisemitism, conducting thorough investigations into reported incidents of antisemitism, and engaging Jewish and Israel-supporting students in the creation of safety policies.
The Times of Israel Community.