British Universities Have a Growing Antisemitism Problem

British Universities Have a Growing Antisemitism Problem

This is a stark reminder of how bad this problem has become and how widespread it is.

Spiked Online reports:

Anti-Semitism has exploded in British universities

It is no secret that anti-Semitism is on the rise in the UK. Following Hamas’s massacre in southern Israel on 7 October, the atmosphere for British Jews has become significantly more hostile.

Not even our most prestigious academic institutions have escaped this rising tide of anti-Semitism. In fact, universities have emerged as hotspots for its spread. On campuses across the UK, students have followed the example of their American counterparts in holding ‘pro-Palestine’ protests and setting up tent encampments. Many of these are not simply demonstrations of solidarity with the people of Gaza, but have morphed into hotbeds of anti-Jewish hostility.

At Oxford University last month, a group of both Jewish and non-Jewish, Israeli and non-Israeli, students and staff wrote to the vice-chancellor about the alarming situation on campus. They listed over 100 anti-Semitic incidents that allegedly took place this past academic year. In one, an Israeli fellow claimed he was told that Jews run all the banks in the world. In another, an Israeli student was reportedly told that ‘you guys control the American government’.

Unfortunately, Oxford is not alone in this. In our latest report published this month, we at the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) shed light on the grim rise of campus anti-Semitism. Through one-on-one interviews, workshops and surveys, HJS found that anti-Semitism is now rampant.

In a survey of 105 students across the UK, 67 said they personally experienced anti-Semitism on campus since 7 October. Ninety-seven said they encountered anti-Semitic disinformation. And 101 argued that the prevalence of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic disinformation has increased since 7 October.

In interviews, students recounted harrowing details of their campus experiences. One student at an unnamed university described being pelted with red juice and told that Jews are terrorists who should go back to Europe. This student also recounted a staff member who, during a webinar, claimed that no Israeli women were raped on 7 October. Due to security concerns related to the pro-Palestine encampments on campus, the student stopped attending university in person and felt compelled to relocate to a different city.

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