Israel’s fight for survival against surrounding Iranian proxy terrorist organizations has become the latest raison d’etre for hate directed at Jews in the United Kingdom.
Rising UK anti-Zionist antisemitism has taken an “alarming” turn over the past year, according to a new report by the Community Security Trust (CST) organization, which represents British Jewry on issues of racism, antisemitism, extremism, policing and security.
The new report shows a sharp increase in the use of anti-Zionist rhetoric in antisemitic incidents in the UK.
According to the report, 1,533 out of a total of 3,528 reported incidents in 2024 included explicitly anti-Zionist sentiment alongside anti-Jewish rhetoric or targeting. The figure accounts for 43 percent of reported incidents, up from 31 percent in 2023.
Additionally, language relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict was reported in 52 percent of cases, a significant rise from 43 percent in 2023 and 15 percent in 2022.
The report outlined a range of disturbing incidents:
* 2,892 cases of abusive behavior,
* 201 incidents of assault,
* 250 threats,
* 27 cases of mass-produced antisemitic literature, and
*157 instances of damage and desecration.
For the second year in a row, almost a fifth – 16 percent – of the recorded incidents involved perpetrators under the age of eighteen.
Notably, the report also found that in 22 percent of reported incidents, children were among the victims.
“The CST’s figures reveal a disturbing trend in the role of ‘anti-Zionist’ rhetoric in antisemitism,” said a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA).
“When 43 percent of reported antisemitic incidents exhibit anti-Zionist sentiment, it is evident that ‘Zionist’ has become a common proxy word for ‘Jew’.
“Those who deny this phenomenon are failing to understand contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and are part of the problem,” the CAA spokesperson warned.
“Our police and universities have been failing to stand up to surging anti-Jewish hatred for far too long. It is time to act against hate, before it’s too late.”
