Antisemitic incidents in Britain rose 21% in first half of 2026, remaining near record levels

JTA – Britain’s Community Service Trust (CST) says assaults, attacks on Jewish institutions, and online abuse increased as anti-Jewish hate remained well above pre-7 October levels. 

Britain’s antisemitism watchdog says it received reports of nearly 2 000 incidents in the first half of 2026, the second-most its recorded ever for the time period, following only the first half of 2024. 

The new figures released on Wednesday by the CST represent a 21% increase in reported incidents over the same time period last year, which followed a surge in the early months of the war in Gaza that started when Israel attacked Hamas on 7 October. 

Watchdogs in multiple countries have recorded surging antisemitism since and say the numbers portend an unsettling new normal when it comes to Jewish safety and security. 

The increase in antisemitic incidents from January to June in Britain was driven, the CST found, by both violent attacks and a sharp rise in online abuse. While the largest category of incidents recorded was abusive behaviour, which accounted for more than four-fifths of all reported incidents, the group also recorded a record number of assaults for any January-to-June period, while incidents affecting synagogues, schools, and other Jewish institutions also reached new highs. 

The CST has tracked, reported on, and published antisemitic incidents since 1984. 

Among the incidents highlighted in the report were the April stabbing of two visibly Jewish men in London’s heavily Orthodox Golders Green neighbourhood, which British authorities treated as a terrorist attack, and a series of arson attacks targeting synagogues and Jewish organisations, including the destruction of ambulances belonging to the volunteer Jewish emergency service Hatzola. 

The report also cited suspected hostile activity linked to Iranian intelligence targeting Britain’s Jewish community. CST said the US-Israel war with Iran coincided with another spike in antisemitic incidents. 

“These attacks are directed against British Jews but they are also attacks on Britain and our society,” CST’s chief executive, Mark Gardner, said in a statement, adding that the incidents 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”. 

The findings come as the British government has expanded funding for security at Jewish institutions following a series of violent attacks over the past year. Following the release of the report, Policing Minister Sarah Jones said, “Antisemitism goes against our country’s values and I will do everything in my power to protect our Jewish communities.” 

CST compiles its statistics from incidents reported directly to it as well as cases recorded by police and other agencies. CST reviews each report before including it in its database. It says it does not include reports of anti-Israel rhetoric or activity that do not also include “explicit anti-Jewish language, targeting, or motivation”.