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Record levels of antisemitism on UK campuses, CST report reveals

CST reports 117 per cent increase in university related antisemitic incidents

December 9, 2024 13:34
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CST recorded 325 university-related antisemitic incidents in the last two academic years – compared to the 150 university incidents recorded between 2020-2022. (CST)
4 min read

University-related antisemitic incidents have increased by 117 per cent over the last two academic years, according to figures released by the Community Security Trust (CST) on Monday.

The scale of antisemitism on Britain’s university campuses has reached unprecedented levels, with a total of 325 antisemitic incidents, the highest ever recorded in relation to universities. These include 53 incidents in 2022/23 and 272 in 2023/24. The figures mark a sharp increase from the 150 incidents logged in the two previous academic years.

The surge coincided with the fallout from the October 7 terror attacks in Israel and the conflict in Gaza, which triggered a spike in anti-Jewish hatred. October 2023 alone saw 85 university-related incidents, the highest monthly total ever recorded. The incidents recorded that month outstripped the totals for the entirety of the previous academic year and were the highest monthly total ever recorded.

Top 10 universities with the highest number of incidents (CST)[Missing Credit]

Among the litany of incidents were ten violent assaults, including one where eggs were hurled at a group of Jewish students in St Andrews returning from an event with the Chief Rabbi. In Cambridge, a student wearing a Jewish Society (JSoc) fleece was spat on, while in another episode, a Jewish student wearing a kippah was told to move away from a Gaza encampment because his very presence was deemed “provocative.”