Antisemitic incidents at British universities have increased by nearly 80% since before the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, according to a report by the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity providing security advice to the UK's Jewish community.
The CST recorded 178 university-related antisemitic incidents across the 2024-2026 academic years, noting a 14% rise specifically during the 2025/26 academic year. In total, 95 incidents were reported in 2025/26, a significant increase from the 53 incidents recorded in 2022/23, the academic year preceding the Hamas attacks and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
The majority of these incidents involved abusive behaviour, including verbal harassment, antisemitic remarks, and graffiti targeting students, staff, or Jewish campus organisations. However, the report also detailed instances of more severe violence, with two incidents of extreme violence recorded in 2024/25 and a total of six assaults over the two-year reporting period.
Furthermore, the CST's findings indicated that university staff were responsible for 16 antisemitic incidents during the two-year span covered by the report. British Education Minister Lucy Powell commented on the situation, stating, "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."
