Anti-Semitic incidents hit an unprecedented high at universities in the United Kingdom during the previous academic year, according to recently released data collected by the Community Security Trust (CST).
A total of 111 anti-Semitic cases were recorded at British universities, which is a 59 percent rise from the 70 cases recorded during the 2019-20 school year. The jump represents a record high for CST since it began tracking anti-Semitic incidents on university campuses in 2002.
Almost all cases involved verbal, written or online abuse, according to The Jewish Chronicle. A total of 64 cases were reported in May. All incidents at the University of Oxford took place during Israel’s 11-day conflict in May with Hamas and other factions in the Gaza Strip.
The charity urged universities to make sure their “complaints processes are fit for purpose and that Jewish students get the necessary support when they suffer anti-Semitism.”
The Union of Jewish Students, which was reportedly targeted in eight of the incidents, said it is “incredibly worrying to see how positive and active Jewish student life is being tainted by the growth of anti-Jewish hatred across campuses in the U.K.”
A spokesperson added that “it is vital that institutions, student unions and the wider community are active in calling out anti-Jewish racism and take concrete steps to safeguard their Jewish students—for example, adopting and using the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.”