The number of antisemitic incidents recorded in UK higher education tripled last year as the war in Gaza fuelled anti-Jewish hate on campuses, according to a new report.
The Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors antisemitism across the UK, received 182 reports of incidents affecting Jewish students or academics during 2023, the highest total ever recorded, up from 60 the previous year.
Of these, 148 (81 per cent) occurred in the aftermath of Hamas’ 7 October attacks on Israel, and Israel’s far deadlier – and ongoing – retaliation in the Gaza Strip. Some 134 (74 per cent) of the incidents recorded in higher education made explicit reference to Israel and the Middle East in addition to antisemitic language or targeting.
The CST’s report says that it classified five of the 182 university-related incidents as assault; 13 as damage and desecration; 15 as threats; 146 as abusive behaviour; and three as antisemitic literature – including one complaint about Holocaust-related content on a university reading list.
