Universities must act on antisemitic abuse, Bridget Phillipson says

Universities must act to protect Jewish students from harassment and discrimination on campuses, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said, as she set out measures to tackle antisemitism.

Phillipson said there had been an “unacceptable increase in antisemitism” at universities and added that many Jewish students currently do not feel safe on campuses.

She said the UK government was funding training to help staff and students at universities “tackle this poison of antisemitism”.

“There can be no place for harassment and intimidation,” Phillipson told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. “Universities can and must act on that.”

There have been regular protests staged at universities over the conflict in Gaza, including on the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel earlier this week.

The protests went ahead despite the pleas of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who urged students not to take part, warning of “rising antisemitism on our streets”.

The demonstrations came days after two Jewish men were killed in a terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur.

A report by CST last year found a 117% increase in antisemitic incidents on university campuses in the 2022/23 and 2023/2024 academic years, when compared with the preceding two years.

Phillipson said she had spoken to Jewish students who felt they needed to conceal their identity.

“On campus, Jewish students don’t feel safe,” she said. “And often, parents worry about sending their children to university. We cannot accept that. There can be no place for it.”

The education secretary said she had written to university vice-chancellors urging them to take steps to protect Jewish students from harassment.