|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Antisemitism in the United Kingdom continues to reach alarming levels, with more than 1,500 antisemitic incidents — at least 200 every month — recorded in the first half of 2025 alone, according to new data released by the Community Security Trust (CST).
The figure represents the second-highest number of antisemitic incidents ever recorded by CST in the first half of any year and underscores a deeply troubling reality: British Jews are facing sustained, ideologically driven hostility, with high-profile cultural events fueling dangerous spikes in hate.
Violent assaults, property desecration, threats, and widespread abuse were among the offenses recorded. CST reported 76 violent antisemitic assaults, including three categorized as “Extreme Violence” involving weapons including a box cutter, a bottle, and a hammer.
One brutal incident involved the mistaken targeting of a non-Jewish woman at a Lancashire hotel pub, who was verbally abused with antisemitic slurs before being punched to the ground and kicked in the ribs by a group of attackers.
Cultural Incitement Driving Real-World Harm
The sharpest spike occurred on June 29, the day after punk duo Bob Vylan’s incendiary performance at the Glastonbury Festival. During their set, which was streamed live on BBC iPlayer, singer Bob Vylan led a crowd chant of “Death to the IDF,” accompanied by anti-Zionist rhetoric and slurs referencing a former Jewish employer. CST recorded 26 antisemitic incidents on that single day, more than triple the daily average. The backlash also targeted CST directly, after the organization condemned the chants as “utterly chilling” in a public statement.
The Glastonbury incident, now under police investigation, exemplifies how cultural and political rhetoric surrounding Israel and Zionism is increasingly being weaponized to justify antisemitic hate. In its report, CST warned that such “totemic events” serve as catalysts for real-world antisemitism — online and off — by fueling existing ideological narratives. Overall, 51% of incidents in the first half of 2025 referenced Israel, Gaza, Hamas’s October 7th massacre, or the subsequent war.
CST also found that 76% of reported incidents involved identifiable political or ideological motivations, including anti-Zionist, Islamist, and far-right discourses. Greater London saw the highest concentration of antisemitic activity, followed by Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, and other regions.
“These are extreme levels of Jew-hatred, committed in the name of anti-Israel activism,” said CST CEO Mark Gardner. “In such difficult times, the CST is proud to give strength to British Jews when they most need it.”
The British government has condemned the ongoing surge. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged the findings, stating that antisemitic crimes “remain shamefully and persistently high” and reaffirmed the government’s “steadfast” commitment to tackling hate. Cooper also announced the creation of a new Antisemitism Working Group and reaffirmed a £54 million funding package for CST’s protective work through 2027/28.
The UK government’s adviser on antisemitism, Lord John Mann, said the CST data “shows that antisemitism continues to impact the British Jewish community at an unprecedented level.”
National Police Chiefs’ Council Hate Crime Advisor Paul Giannasi added, “We need victims to have the confidence to report crimes so we can ensure they get the support they deserve and that offenders are brought to justice.”
While UK officials acknowledge the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, some, like Giannasi, have maintained that the country remains among the safest in the world for Jewish citizens. But the lived experience of British Jews tells a more sobering story — one where incitement, often disguised as political expression, has become a vehicle for unchecked hate.
A Global Crisis, Not Just a British One
The UK’s figures are part of a global trend. In the United States, the FBI’s latest Hate Crime Report documented 1,938 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024 — the highest number ever recorded, making up 69% of all religion-based hate crimes, despite Jews comprising just 2% of the population. The Secure Community Network (SCN) has tracked over 10,000 threat incidents since October 7th, including more than 500 credible threats to life in 2024 alone. As antisemitism escalates across continents, both governments and civil society must respond with urgency, coordination, and resolve.
Read more: Protecting British Jews In a Time of Crisis: A Conversation With CST’s Dr. Dave Rich
