UK Campus Antisemitism Cases Rise, Security Charity Reports

Antisemitic incidents connected to UK universities rose to 95 in the 2025-26 academic year, up from 83 the year before, according to the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that tracks antisemitic incidents nationwide, cited by BBC News.

The increase is smaller than the spike recorded after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, but CST says the current level remains "substantially higher" than before that date, the BBC reported.

What did the Community Security Trust find?

CST defines a "university-related" incident as one involving a student, staff member, or academic acting in their academic or student capacity, whether on campus or online. The charity's report covers the past two academic years and shows incidents climbing again after a dip, per the BBC.

How does this compare with before the Gaza war?

In 2022-23, the last full academic year before the October 7 attack, CST recorded 53 university-related incidents. That number jumped to 272 in 2023-24, the year the war in Gaza began, before falling in 2024-25 and rising again in 2025-26 to 95, according to the BBC's account of the report.

The Gaza war followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel's subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed around 74,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, the BBC noted.

What kinds of incidents were reported?

Abusive behavior — verbal abuse, in-person or online comments, and antisemitic graffiti — was the most common category across both years, the BBC reported. For the first time, CST recorded two occurrences of extreme violence in 2024-25. Across both years combined, the charity logged six assaults, eight incidents of damage or desecration of Jewish property (five of them in student accommodation), and ten threats.

About two-thirds of reported incidents combined antisemitic language or targeting with references to Israel, Gaza, Hamas, October 7, or the wider Middle East conflict, according to the report as described by the BBC. CST's report states that while criticism of Israel and Zionism is "not inherently antisemitic," its data show anti-Zionist language is "frequently deployed in conjunction with hostility towards Jews and Jewish organisations."

How are universities and officials responding?

Mark Gardner, CST's chief executive, said Jews are "still facing a very serious campus antisemitism problem" and called it "particularly troubling that a growing proportion of the anti-Jewish actions involve university staff," per the BBC. Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, said members needed to "protect Jewish students and staff" and called the findings a "serious concern." Its chief executive, Vivienne Stern, said universities "have a responsibility" to act.

Lucy Powell, England's education secretary, called the findings "deeply troubling" and said the government expects universities to take a "zero-tolerance approach," adding that training is being provided to help staff identify and respond to incidents quickly, the BBC reported.

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," according to the BBC.

What happens next?

CST's report does not set out new legal requirements. For now, the response rests on universities' existing duties to students and staff, backed by government training programs Powell referenced, and on continued monitoring by CST in future academic years.