Key points
- Education minister demands stronger action against campus hate
- New rules require universities to tackle all harassment
- Over 3,500 antisemitic incidents reported in Britain last year
LONDON: The British government has urged universities to take firmer measures to safeguard Jewish students following a deadly attack on a synagogue in northern England and growing concerns over antisemitism on campuses in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Officials said young people must be equipped to recognise and challenge misinformation online and called on universities to use every available means to tackle hate and division, reports Reuters.
“One instance of antisemitic abuse is one too many,” Education Minister Bridget Phillipson stated. “So I’m clear: the buck stops with universities when it comes to ridding their campuses of hate — and they have my full backing to use their powers to do so.”
On 2 October, a British man of Syrian descent drove into pedestrians and then stabbed several people outside Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Two men were killed in the attack.
Taking practical and proportionate steps
In response, Phillipson wrote to university vice-chancellors, urging them to take “practical and proportionate steps” to ensure campuses remain safe environments. Under new rules introduced in August, institutions are now required to have clear policies and reporting systems to deal with harassment of all types.
According to the Community Security Trust, which provides protection for Jewish organisations across Britain, last year was the second-worst year on record for antisemitism, with over 3,500 incidents reported.
Official data from the Home Office, released on Thursday, showed that Jews experienced the highest rate of religious hate crimes in England and Wales in the year leading up to March.
Meanwhile, there has been a notable rise in antisemitic incidents on US university campuses amid heightened tensions linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from universities over pro-Palestinian demonstrations, claiming institutions have allowed antisemitic behaviour to take place.
