New record in the wave of antisemitism in the UK: almost double compared to before October 7

A new report by the Community Security Trust (CST) in the UK documents 1,926 antisemitic incidents across the country in the first half of 2026 - the second highest figure ever recorded for the period between January and June, and an increase of 21% compared to the same period last year. This is also a higher number than all incidents recorded during the entire year of 2022.

The report's authors warn that antisemitism in the UK has established itself at an unprecedentedly high level since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and it is no longer a temporary extreme reaction but a continuing reality. The Shadow Home Secretary of the British opposition, Chris Philp, who addressed the report's data, defined the rising antisemitism as a "national emergency".

According to the report, "the norm has changed". Before October 7, the average stood at 161 antisemitic incidents per month; in the first half of 2026, the average already reached 321 - a 99% jump. In each of the six months, more than 200 incidents were recorded, and in four of them more than 300 - levels that previously appeared almost only during wars in which Israel was involved.

According to the report, the escalation occurred against the backdrop of the war between Israel, the USA, and Iran, which began on February 28. Already in the week following the attacks on Iran, the number of antisemitic incidents jumped by 71%, and subsequently, an increase of 24% was recorded compared to the period preceding the outbreak of the conflict.

At the same time, a spy affair was exposed in the UK in which two people were accused of gathering intelligence on Jewish institutions in London for Iranian intelligence - a development that intensified the sense of threat in the Jewish community.

The report describes an unprecedented sequence of attacks against the Jewish community: the arson of four "Hatzalah" ambulances, attempted arsons of synagogues and other Jewish institutions, and subsequently the stabbing attack in Golders Green, in which two Jews with Haredi appearance were wounded in an event declared a terrorist attack. Within just three weeks after the attempted arson at the synagogue in Finchley, the number of antisemitic incidents jumped by 83%.

According to the report, expressions of joy over the attack, calls for further harm to Jews, and antisemitic conspiracy theories appeared on social networks and in the public sphere. The CST concludes that prominent attacks against Jews "encourage other antisemites to act".

The violence data itself is exceptional: 135 physical assaults on Jews - an increase of 82% and a new record - alongside one event defined as "extreme violence" due to danger to life. Almost seven percent of all incidents included physical violence, compared to only four percent the year before.

In 59% of cases, the victim was identified as Jewish due to a kippah, traditional clothing, or Jewish school uniform. Children were also affected at an exceptional rate: in 38% of the violence cases where the victim's age was known, the victim was a minor, and almost a third of the attackers were minors. In 18 cases, children attacked Jewish children.

In the CST, they emphasize that not every criticism of Israel is counted as antisemitic. The organization included in its data only cases where statements against Israel or against Zionism were also accompanied by anti-Jewish language, antisemitic motifs, or a focus on Jews as Jews.

According to the report, 787 incidents - 41% of all events - included a reference to Israel, the Palestinians, the October 7 massacre, or the war, and in all of them, an antisemitic component was also found. It also emerges that in 676 cases, anti-Zionism appeared alongside incitement against Jews, while the terms "Zionist" and "Zionism" were often used as code words for "Jew". In 105 incidents, Jews or Israelis were compared to Nazis or Nazi Germany.

A new record was also recorded online: 680 online antisemitic incidents - the highest number ever documented in a half-year. In 86% of them, conspiracy theories, ideological motifs, or antisemitic messages appeared, and in 61% messages related to Israel and the war were also integrated. However, the CST emphasizes that these are only cases reported to the organization, and that the scope of antisemitic content online is much larger.

Community institutions became a major target. In the first half of the year, 117 incidents were documented that harmed synagogues or worshippers - the highest number ever recorded for this period - as well as 178 incidents in the education system, an increase of 59% compared to last year and a new record.

CST CEO Mark Gardner told Reuters that "these attacks should worry anyone who cares about the UK and the threats posed to it - whether it is threats directed by Iran, or those driven from within by Islamist elements, the far-right, the far-left, or other extremist ideological groups".

UK Minister for Policing and Crime, Sarah Jones, stated that "antisemitism is contrary to the values of our country", and promised: "I will do everything in my power to protect our Jewish communities". Her words were said after the UK government announced the allocation of 250 million pounds over the next three years to increase security in Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centers.