CST records 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the first half of 2025, most linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict

The UK recorded more than 200 antisemitic incidents every month in the first half of 2025, according to new figures from the Community Security Trust (CST). The total of 1,521 incidents between January and June marks the second-highest first-half-year figure ever recorded by the charity, which monitors antisemitism and provides security for the Jewish community.

The highest six-month total remains that of 2024, when CST logged 2,019 incidents over the same period. While the latest figures represent a 25% drop from last year, they still reflect what CST described as “extreme levels of Jew-hatred” across the country.

More than half of the incidents this year — 51% — were linked to Israel, Gaza, the October 2023 Hamas terror attack, or subsequent conflicts. The month of June, which saw 326 incidents, coincided with the Israel-Iran war, marking the highest monthly total so far this year.

In 76% of all recorded cases, antisemitic language or targeting was accompanied by a political or ideological element — whether anti-Zionist, far-right, Islamist, or otherwise.

The charity recorded 76 violent assaults on Jewish people in the first half of 2025, three of which were classed as “Extreme Violence.” One involved a bottle, another a box-cutter, and the third a hammer. The remaining 73 included 20 cases where victims were punched or kicked and 15 where objects such as eggs, stones, or bricks were thrown.

One example detailed in the report occurred in April, when a woman staying at a Lancashire hotel pub was verbally abused by a group accusing her of being Jewish. Despite denying it, she was followed outside, punched to the ground, and kicked in the ribs.

Alongside violent incidents, CST documented 84 cases of damage or desecration of Jewish property, 96 direct threats, 21 cases involving antisemitic literature, and 1,236 classified as abusive behaviour.

Geographically, the highest number of cases occurred in Greater London, followed by Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, West Midlands, Scotland, and Sussex.

“These are extreme levels of Jew-hatred, committed in the name of anti-Israel activism,” said CST chief executive Mark Gardner. “In such difficult times, CST is proud to give strength to British Jews when they most need it.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the figures, calling them “shamefully and persistently high,” and stressed that every incident “has a profoundly damaging impact both on the individuals affected and the wider Jewish community.” She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to “root out the poison of antisemitism wherever it is found.”

Cooper announced that £54 million in multi-year funding will continue to be provided to CST for protective security until at least 2027/28. She also confirmed the creation of a new Antisemitism Working Group to advise on how best to address incidents.

HM Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, Lord John Mann, said the figures showed the problem was “at an unprecedented level.”

Paul Giannasi, National Policing Advisor for Hate Crime, thanked CST for its partnership with law enforcement, saying the data was “valuable” in tackling the issue. He urged victims to come forward to ensure they receive support and that offenders are prosecuted.

Despite what he called the “unacceptably high numbers of antisemitic crime,” Giannasi maintained that the UK remains “amongst the safest places in the world for Jewish citizens.”