UK antisemitic incidents rise by a fifth in first half of 2026

Antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom have surged by 21% in the first half of 2026, with the Community Security Trust (CST) recording 1,926 incidents. This marks the second-highest total ever documented by the CST in the first six months of a year since data collection began in 1984.

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appalling

Policing Minister Sarah Jones described the figures as "appalling," stating they reveal people "living in fear just for being who they are." The recorded incidents include arson attacks on Jewish organizations and synagogues in London, as well as the stabbing of two visibly Jewish men, an attack treated as terrorism. The CST observed significant increases in antisemitic incidents following these events, with the highest daily total occurring after the April 29 double stabbing.

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These attacks are directed against British Jews but they are also attacks on Britain and our society.

Hatred directed at British Jews remains at a higher level than before October 7, 2023, with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East identified as a contributing factor. The CST reported that 41% of recorded incidents contained anti-Jewish language or motives while referencing the conflict, Israel, Palestine, or Hamas. CST chief executive Mark Gardner stated these attacks are directed at British Jews but are also assaults on Britain and its society, expressing concern about threats from state-directed sources like Iran and internally driven extremism.

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should concern everyone who cares about Britain and the threats against it, whether state-directed from Iran, or internally driven by Islamist, far-right, far-left, or other ideological extremes.

Separate global data indicates heightened levels of antisemitism worldwide, with the UK recording the largest increase in antisemitic incidents last year among countries with significant Jewish populations outside Israel. Lord John Mann, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, highlighted that anti-Jewish racism in the UK is at an all-time high and poses a significant threat to democracy, noting a concerning increase in the violence of these incidents. The CST also found that antisemitism in schools reached its highest level ever recorded for the first half of any year.

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demonstrate that anti-Jewish racism in the UK remains at all all-time high and continues to pose a significant threat to our democracy