In its third biennial campus antisemitic incidents report, the Jewish charity CST (Community Safety Trust) has recorded a total of 325 university-related antisemitic incidents in the last two academic years: 53 incidents in 2022/23 and 272 in 2023/2024.
While the report gives numerous instances of online and real-world ‘hostile environments’ faced by Jewish students and student societies, it also reports numerous cases of security staff supporting those students. The report gives the case from March at an unnamed university of how pro-Israel stall members were outnumbered by a hostile crowd, and told by Security ‘that if they did not leave the area at that point, they [Security] could no longer guarantee their personal safety. Eight of the students at the stall, all of whom were Jewish, returned to their parental homes that week due to fears for their safety if they remained on campus attending seminars and lectures’.
What they say
CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner said: “British universities have suffered for decades with antisemitism, but these latest figures are worse than ever before. Jewish students should be able to lead a normal life and CST’s report includes several recommendations to help crack down on anti-Jewish hatred and provide Jewish students with the support and protection that they need and deserve. Ultimately, this comes down to university authorities, government and police standing up to extremists who are permitted to harass, intimidate and disrupt on campus. This bullying can be from students or staff, and it inflicts harm upon anyone deemed to disagree with them.”
After the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks and the war in Gaza, CST says that it received an ‘unprecedented’ number of reports of pro-Palestinian campaigning at universities that featured extreme, sometimes violent, rhetoric towards Israel; but did not meet CST’s criteria for recording as antisemitic due to a lack of clear evidence of anti-Jewish language, motivation or targeting.
CST’s recommendations:
– An independent process for complaints of discrimination, bigotry or hateful language should be developed by universities. This means ensuring that staff assessing complaints do not have a known or close relationship with the member of staff or student involved, where possible engaging external advisers with specialist expertise in the type of discrimination or bigotry being alleged.
– Institutions ought to ensure that the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism is accompanied by training for staff who will be investigating complaints so that they know how to use the definition, and have a wider understanding of the nature, language and impact of antisemitism on British campuses.
– In times of heightened tension, universities should take care to formulate public stances and messaging that emphasise support for all students and do not ostracise Jewish students.
– Universities should take care to act on complaints within a reasonable timeframe. Where delays cannot be avoided every effort should be made to ensure frequent communication to inform the student of delays, progress made and when they can expect a response.
– confidentiality of students reporting incidents where possible.
– complaint and/or reporting forms should incorporate a space for students to say that they have specifically been the victim of an antisemitic hate crime.
– Universities should ensure that encampments are not established in central areas of campus that impede or obstruct the regular flow of student life and that external individuals are restricted in their ability to access formal and informal (but established) student groups on university property. Appropriate investigation and disciplinary procedures must be taken against students who promote antisemitism or other forms of extremism.
About the CST
While CST says that its campus team regularly provides advice to Jewish students and societies on organising events safely, it also secures synagogues and Jewish schools and other community buildings. Visit https://cst.org.uk/.
More on protest in the January 2025 edition of Professional Security Magazine.
