Antisemitic abuse at universities skyrockets to unprecedented levels as Jewish students left feeling unsafe

Antisemitic abuse at British universities has reached unprecedented levels, with 272 incidents recorded in the 2023/24 academic year – more than triple the number seen in previous years.

The figures were revealed in a new report by the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity dedicated to protecting British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism.

The report documents a sharp rise in verbal abuse, threats and assaults against Jewish students across UK campuses.

The surge marks the highest number of antisemitic incidents ever recorded in a single academic year at British universities.

October 2023 proved particularly severe, with 85 antisemitic incidents recorded in that month alone – nearly double the previous peak of 47 incidents seen in May 2021.

The dramatic increase coincided with the October 7 terrorist attack, after which campus tensions escalated significantly.

On the day of October 7 itself, the CST documented four antisemitic incidents.

One such incident involved a man knocking on the door of a Jewish university chaplaincy couple, issuing the threatening message: “We’re watching you.”

The surge represents a significant escalation compared to previous periods of heightened Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The report detailed several serious incidents across UK universities, including Jewish students being pelted with eggs following an event with the Chief Rabbi.

Swastika graffiti was discovered in lavatories at the National Union of Students conference.

In one particularly disturbing case, the family of a Jewish chaplain at the University of Leeds received death threats after he returned from IDF reservist duty.

The threats included violent messages about raping and killing his wife and murdering his children.

A Jewish student society was targeted with a bomb hoax email that warned: “Everyone inside will die in a pool of blood”.

During a bar crawl, a student’s T-shirt was defaced with the message “I [heart] Hitler”.

The scale of incidents varied widely, with damage to Jewish property rising sharply to 17 cases in 2023/24, up from just four the previous year.

Physical assaults increased dramatically, with nine university-related attacks compared to a single incident in the previous period.

Direct antisemitic threats to students jumped from three to 23 cases.

Abusive behaviour dominated the statistics, accounting for 81 per cent of incidents over two years, with 264 cases documented.

Social media platforms became a significant vector for abuse, with official student WhatsApp groups being spammed with death threats.

One criminology group chat featured Nazi glorification, with messages including: “I’d bring Hitler back if I could.”

The impact on Jewish student life has been severe, with a recent survey of 497 Jewish students and staff revealing troubling statistics.

Only 22 per cent of respondents felt comfortable being open about their Jewish identity after October 7.

A striking 70 per cent reported feeling “somewhat” or “very” uncomfortable, while 60 per cent felt unsafe on campus.

Dave Rich, Community Security Trust’s director of policy, warned that university policies are “relatively worthless if there isn’t the necessary leadership and determination to enforce them”.

He called on vice chancellors to show “strong leadership” in addressing rising student antisemitism.

The CST report carefully distinguished between antisemitic incidents and broader pro-Palestinian campaigning on campuses.

By May 2024, 36 pro-Palestinian encampments had been established at universities across the UK.

Six antisemitic incidents were directly linked to these encampments, including five cases of abuse and one threat.

The Student Federation for a Liberated Palestine launched a manifesto supporting Palestinian “right to resistance in all forms”.

Some demonstrations were reportedly infiltrated by unaffiliated individuals wearing face coverings and promoting extreme ideas.

Socialist Worker Party activists were observed distributing leaflets expressing “unconditional support” for Hamas.

At Oxford, students faced pressure to pledge support for “Thawabet”, an ideology endorsing armed resistance.