U.K. Campus Antisemitism Rises Again, Charity Warns
Reported antisemitic incidents affecting students and staff at U.K. universities rose again in the 2025-26 academic year, according to a charity that tracks anti-Jewish hate.
The Community Security Trust (CST) said it recorded 95 university-related incidents in 2025-26, up from 83 the previous year. The figure is below the peak seen after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza began, but the charity said it remains substantially higher than before that turning point.
The findings put renewed pressure on university leaders, who have faced complaints from Jewish groups and government officials about campus climate since the Gaza conflict intensified. Universities UK (UUK), which represents more than 140 institutions, called the data a serious concern and said its members must protect Jewish students and staff.
Lucy Powell, England's education secretary, described the CST report 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.
CST classifies an incident as university-related if it involves a student, staff member or academic at a U.K. university in their academic or student capacity, including on campus and online.
The trend has shifted sharply since the Oct. 7 attack. CST recorded 53 such incidents in 2022-23, the last academic year before the attack. That number jumped to 272 in 2023-24, then fell in 2024-25 before rising again in 2025-26, according to a report examining the past two academic years.
Abusive behavior was the most common category over both years, including verbal abuse, comments made in person or online and antisemitic graffiti. The report said 2024-25 marked the first time CST recorded two occurrences of extreme violence.
Across the two years, CST recorded six assaults, eight incidents of damage or desecration to Jewish property—five of them in student accommodation—and ten threats. About two-thirds of reported incidents involved antisemitic language or targeting alongside references to Israel, Gaza, Hamas, the Oct. 7 attack and the subsequent conflicts in the Middle East.
The Gaza war began with the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel's military offensive in response has killed around 74,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The CST report said criticism of Israel and Zionism is not inherently antisemitic, but it added that the data continue to show anti-Zionist language being used alongside hostility toward Jews and Jewish organizations.
Mark Gardner, CST's chief executive, said Jews are still facing a very serious campus antisemitism problem. He called it particularly troubling that a growing proportion of anti-Jewish actions involve university staff, and said universities have a duty to ensure Jewish students and staff can study, work and participate on campus the same as anyone else.
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.
Vivienne Stern, UUK's chief executive, said the rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.K., including on university campuses, is a serious concern. Universities have a responsibility to protect Jewish students and staff from abuse, she said, and to ensure students and staff clearly understand where the expression of a strongly held view becomes antisemitism and harassment.
She said UUK had worked with organizations including CST on guidance for universities, but added there was more to do, particularly in building confidence in the effectiveness of disciplinary processes.