CST report shows anti-Semitic incidents at UK universities remain far higher

New figures from the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitism in Britain, show that the number of anti-Semitic incidents at British universities is significantly higher than before the October 7 attacks. The figures come as the new university term begins, when thousands of students start their studies.

Baroness Luciana Berger, vice president of the Jewish Leadership Council and a member of the advisory board of the Union of Jewish Students, gave her reaction. She said the figures did not surprise her but were very concerning. She argued they should be noted by universities across the country, the government and the wider community, and that more must be done to ensure all students, particularly Jewish students, can attend university safely.

Berger said campuses have historically been a hotbed for such problems. In the current context, she said, activity online is spilling over into what happens on campus. Some universities and student unions do good work on student education, she added, and some university authorities take the issue seriously, but this is not unanimous.

She said Jewish students in too many cases are fighting to be heard, whether by their student union or university authorities. They receive warm words, she said, but not action. The Union of Jewish Students is calling for the Office for Students to have oversight so that all universities report instances of anti-Semitism, with consequences when they fail to do so. It also wants a counter-extremism strategy that covers and is specific about university campuses. Berger said radicalisation is being seen on campuses.

Wider society

Berger linked the campus figures to a broader rise in anti-Semitism. She said official figures for anti-Semitic incidents in the country are at their highest levels, particularly after the October 7 attacks. The problem is not limited to higher education, she said. It also affects workplaces, the NHS, and cultural and media spaces, and is increasingly commonplace. Reports from government on anti-Semitism in primary and secondary schools are awaited, she added.

She was speaking from the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. She said she had heard from the Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, that the government is awaiting an important report and will take it very seriously. Berger also said she had heard this week from Powell and the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, about how they are treating the issue seriously and looking at what more can be done in education, culture and media.

Berger noted that the country had just commemorated the anniversary of the attack on Heaton Park Synagogue. She also pointed to the firebombing of four ambulances and an increase in attacks on the Jewish community. She said anti-Semitism is one of the oldest hatreds, but it evolves and takes different forms. More must be done to educate young people and adults about it, including in universities.