Antisemitism has become normalised on UK campuses

The Union of Jewish Students in the UK has just published a report titled ’Time for Change’ that seeks to gauge the impact of rising polarisation on the student population, providing details of the scale and nature of antisemitic experiences.

While accepting that much of the campus protest movement expresses strongly held views in a manner compatible with free debate and well-intentioned activism, the report demonstrates that far too often Jewish students in the UK have been villainised by opponents of Israeli government action, regardless of their citizenship or views.

The three major findings are:

1. Antisemitism has become normalised on our campuses.
   23 percent of students have seen behaviour that targets Jewish students for their religion/ethnicity.
   
   
2. Glorification of terrorism is prevalent and unpunished.
   Student groups have explicitly called for violence against Jews, even justifying the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in December 2025.
   
   
3. Protests disrupt all students, and universities have a clear mandate from students to take firmer action.
   Protests have disrupted learning for 65 percent of students, and 40 percent have altered their journey on campus to avoid disruption.

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The report also presents six recommendations for government and university action:

1. New enforceable standards for how universities investigate and punish hate crime, with mandatory reporting to the Office for Students and sanctions for non-compliance.
2. Stronger regulation of students’ unions, requiring universities and the Charity Commission to enforce proper conduct and combat extremism.
3. Deliver a national counter-extremism strategy with a dedicated focus on campus radicalisation, coordinated across government.
4. Clear public order guidance for universities and police, strengthening enforcement of new and existing powers.
5. Step up police, university and government coordination, with formalised taskforces to tackle criminality and extremist activity on campus.
6. University adoption of sector-wide best practice on Jewish inclusion, including antisemitism awareness training and initiatives to celebrate Jewish life.