Page 40 - AUCSO Newsletter - Winter 2023

Israel-Gaza violence ‘fuelled rise in

UK campus antisemitism’

Increase in tensions in Middle East led to
highest ever number of incidents recorded
by the Community Security Trust

Antisemitic incidents reported at UK universities
spiked as tensions escalated in the conflict
between Israel and Palestine, new research has
shown.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity
that monitors antisemitism, recorded 95-
university-related incidents in the academic year
2020-21 – the highest ever figure – 55 of which took place in the single month of May 2021.

This was a period when tensions flared in the Gaza Strip and protests and rocket attacks left at
least 256 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel dead, with many more injured.

The CST said anti-Jewish hate crime increased nationally in the UK during this time, with
universities disproportionately affected; 9 per cent of all antisemitic incidents recorded during
May 2021 were university-related, compared to 2 per cent during normal periods.

Overall, figures released by the CST as part of its report – Campus Antisemitism in Britain 2020-
2022 – show that there were 150 antisemitic hate incidents at UK universities in 2020-21 and 2021-
22 combined. This was a 22 per cent increase on the 123 incidents recorded in the previous two
academic years of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.

The CST said the increase was partly because of its sustained campaign to encourage students to
report such incidents, but also showed the “impact that reactions to conflict overseas can have on
levels of antisemitism affecting British campuses”.
Chief executive Mark Gardner said the issue “has been a running sore for decades and these new
findings show that far too many Jewish students suffer hatred and bias”.

The findings come after a damning report on antisemitism within the National Union of
Students, which found that the country’s largest student representative body has not been a
welcoming place for Jewish people for “at least a decade”.

Joel Rosen, the president of the Union of Jewish Students, said antisemitism was now “leading
some to hide their identity and disengage from parts of university life”.

Incidents was recorded across 30 different towns and cities – with London, Bristol and
Birmingham the most affected – and include three instances of assault, seven threats made to
Jewish students and 140 incidents of abusive behaviour such as verbal or online abuse.

Five of the incidents were perpetrated by staff at a university and three concerned antisemitic
comments made by lecturers or tutors.

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