Antisemitic incidents at UK universities rise 14% as Jewish students face continued abuse

The latest figure is substantially higher than the 53 incidents recorded in 2022/23, the final academic year before the October 7, 2023 massacre, whereas in 2023/24, the number surged to 272.

The CST said the number of incidents had begun to decline but remained “substantially higher” than three years ago.

Its definition of a university-related incident covers cases involving students, staff or academics at UK universities in their “academic or student capacity”, including incidents taking place on campus or online.

A CST spokesman said: “While criticism of Israel and Zionism is not inherently antisemitic, the data in this report continues to demonstrate that anti-Zionist language is frequently deployed in conjunction with hostility towards Jews and Jewish organisations.”

The charity’s report covering the past two academic years found abusive behaviour was the most frequently recorded category. This included verbal abuse, comments made online or in person and antisemitic graffiti.

Mark Gardner, CST’s chief executive, said: “Jews are still facing a very serious campus antisemitism problem”, adding how it was “particularly troubling that a growing proportion of the anti-Jewish actions involve university staff”.

He added universities had “a duty to ensure that Jewish students and staff can study, work and participate on campus the same as anyone else”.

There were also six reported assaults across the two years, alongside eight cases involving damage or desecration of Jewish property, five of which occurred in student accommodation. Ten threats were also recorded.

Raphi Leon, president of the Union of Jewish Students, said the report “must be a shot in the arm to boost action to support Jewish students and tackle antisemitism”.

The report said two incidents of extreme violence were recorded in 2024/25, marking the first time such cases had appeared in its university-related figures.

Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, also described the figures as concerning.

Vivienne Stern, UUK’s chief executive, said: “The rise in antisemitic incidents in the UK, including on university campuses, is a serious concern.

“Universities have a responsibility to protect Jewish students and staff from abuse, and to ensure that students and staff clearly understand where the expression of a strongly held view becomes antisemitism and harassment.”

Ms Stern said UUK had worked with organisations including the CST to develop guidance for universities, but said there was “more to do, particularly in building confidence in the effectiveness of disciplinary processes”.

Around two-thirds of the incidents recorded across the two academic years involved antisemitic language or targeting, alongside references to Israel, Gaza, Hamas, the October 7 attack or subsequent conflicts in the Middle East.

Lucy Powell, England’s education secretary, described the CST findings as “deeply troubling”.

“We expect universities to take a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism and are providing training to help university staff identify and respond to incidents swiftly,” she said.