Verbal abuse and intimidation – a year’s worth of antisemitic incidents on campus since 7th October

The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) has seen a year’s worth of antisemitic incidents on university campuses across the UK and Ireland since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Since creating its student welfare hotline on the 8th October 2023, UJS has received over 150 calls from Jewish students with concerns, anxieties, and reports of antisemitic incidents on their campuses.

In a statement seen by Jewish News, it says:

“Jewish students in the UK and Ireland, along with those in the wider diaspora, are at the forefront of antisemitism when conflict and tensions rise in Israel.

“We have received reports of verbal abuse, intimidation of students, posters calling for ‘intifada until victory’, targeting of Jewish students’ accommodation, and even death threats.

“We have also heard of academics and students’ union officers celebrating, condoning, and supporting the terrorist actions of Hamas as a form of ‘liberation’ or ‘resistance’.”Jewish Society (JSoc) WhatsApp groups have also been infiltrated and subsequently bombarded with messages like ‘f*****g dirty Jewish c***s’ and ‘murdering b******s’.”

These incidents are in line with reporting from the Community Security Trust (CST) that reports of antisemitic incidents have risen 581% compared to this time last year.

The UJS continues: “The Union of Jewish Students is working to ensure that the 9,000 Jewish students in the UK and Ireland can attend university and educational environments free from antisemitism and hate. In the last week UJS has set up a welfare hotline, written to every (over 130) university’s vice-chancellor, and launched a campaign to get every students’ union to stand against terror and stand against Hamas.”

UJS has also run online briefing sessions for over 600 students, community leaders, school pupils and parents.

It has advised them about how to keep safe on campus and how to maintain student life during this crisis. UJS maintains that campus is still safe for Jewish students, but urges everyone to be vigilant, and to report any incidents that happen.

UJS President, Edward Isaacs said: “Since Hamas’ murderous incursion into Israel, Jewish students have experienced an unprecedented rise in antisemitism on campuses across the UK and Ireland. UJS will always lead, defend, and enrich Jewish life on campus, ensuring that all Jewish students can live meaningful Jewish lives on campus.”