Britain’s leading universities have experienced a five-fold increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the Hamas terror attack on Oct 7, analysis by The Telegraph suggests.
Data disclosed under freedom of information laws suggest that Russell Group universities received five times as many reports of anti-Semitism in the first three months after the Hamas attack than in the entire year leading up to it.
In the 12 months leading up to Oct 7, the day on which Hamas is understood to have killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted another 250, there were 33 reports of anti-Semitism at the 19 Russell Group universities that responded to requests for data.
Following the attack, 176 incidents were reported in less than three months.
No university had reported expelling a student accused of anti-Semitism in the past two years, although seven have faced disciplinary action.
Responding to the findings, Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, called for an independent review of universities’ anti-Semitism policies.
“Anti-Semitism is being ignored by some universities, others disgracefully refused to cooperate with the inquiries they received, and there is clear inconsistency of approach,” he said.
The true number of reports is likely to be even higher because five universities – Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, the London School of Economics (LSE) and Oxford – declined to disclose the requested data.
“Anti-Semitism is being ignored by some universities, others disgracefully refused to cooperate with the inquiries they received, and there is clear inconsistency of approach,” Lord Carlile said.
The Government vowed in February to appoint an expert adviser on anti-Semitism in higher education, with Robert Halfon, the then-higher education minister, condemning vice-chancellors who “appease” it and are “not pro-active” in tackling it.
Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, responding to the latest figures, told The Telegraph that vice-chancellors need to “crack down on anti-Semitic abuse on university campuses”.
“Jewish students must feel safe on campus. Any anti-Semitic abuse is totally unacceptable,” she said.
Nicola Richards, the co-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-Semitism, said that she would write to vice-chancellors to demand an explanation for their “at worst, weak” approach to “anti-Jewish racism”.
Bristol, LSE and Oxford declined to share data on reported anti-Semitism incidents because they said it could lead to the identification of those who were subject to complaints and would breach general data protection regulation rules.
Birmingham said it would take longer than 18 hours to collate. Requests which take longer than this to answer can be refused under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Cambridge said it does not “classify complaints by reference to categories such as anti-Semitism and so we do not hold the information requested”.
A further 10 – Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton, University College London, Warwick and York – did not disclose specific figures for months when fewer than five complaints were made.
The Telegraph has counted each of these instances as one complaint, the lowest number possible, meaning the true number may be higher.
Tabytha Shapps, the daughter of Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, told this newspaper in January that she felt “unsafe” as an undergraduate at the University of Leeds after witnessing protesters chanting “anti-Semitic” slogans during a campus rally.
Annie Gishen, a geography student at the University of St Andrews, said last October that a man in a pub had tried to pull a Star of David necklace off the neck of an 18-year-old at a university social event.
Spokesmen for the universities said at the time that they did not tolerate anti-Semitism and urged students to report all incidents.
The universities that received the most reports of anti-Semitism were University College London (22 before Oct 7, 65 after), Kings College London (two before Oct 7, 45 after), and Queen Mary (three before Oct 7, 18 after).
Guy Dabby-Joory, head of campaigns at the Union of Jewish Students, said: “These findings detail the horrifying rise in anti-Semitism in top universities since Oct 7.
“Universities must reflect on these numbers and take urgent action to ensure their Jewish students can continue to thrive in safety and security on their campuses in the wake of this unprecedented flare-up of hate.”
A spokesman for the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-Semitism in Britain, said the “alarming figures” confirm “the picture we are seeing from Jewish students across the country”.
“Anti-Jewish hatred is not only a threat to Jewish students but undermines the whole ethos of a university, and it is essential that university authorities act forcefully and quickly to shut down this hatred and enable Jewish students to have the same positive experience of campus life as everyone else,” the spokesman said.
‘Absolutely unacceptable’
A spokesman for the Russell Group said: “Our universities condemn all forms of anti-Semitism and have made it clear this has no place on campus and will not be tolerated.
“Any discrimination, intimidation or abuse of staff and students is absolutely unacceptable.
“Our universities have clear processes in place to investigate complaints of this nature, and many have stepped up support since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza to make sure swift action is taken and students and staff get the help they need.
“Investigations can be complex and will also involve the police if a hate crime has been committed; as such, many may still be underway.
“We encourage anyone in our community facing anti-Semitism, or harassment or racism of any kind, to seek out support from their university.”
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