Antisemitic incidents in UK spiked after Manchester synagogue terror attack

Antisemitic incidents increased sharply in the UK after the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish year, according to an organisation that provides security to British Jews.Two people died and three were seriously injured at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on 2 October last year, in the first fatal antisemitic terror attack since the Community Security Trust (CST) began recording incidents in 1984.On the day, the CST logged 40 antisemitic incidents and another 40 the next day. More than half directly referenced or celebrated the Heaton Park attack. As a result, October was the worst month for anti-Jewish hate in 2025.In total, the CST recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents last year – the second highest logged by the organisation, and 4% higher than the total for 2024. The highest total was in 2023, largely in the aftermath of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and the start of the war in Gaza.A smaller increase was recorded in December last year after gunmen opened fire on Jews celebrating Hanukah on Bondi Beach in Sydney, demonstrating how violent incidents can fuel further harassment and abuse, according to a report published by the CST on Wednesday.Mourners lay tributes to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack. Photograph: Sarah Wilson/EPAMark Gardner, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “Two years of intense anti-Jewish hatred culminated in a Jihadi terror attack at a synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The terror attack then triggered even more antisemitism, showing the depths of extremism faced by Jews and all our British society.”For the first time, the CST recorded more than 200 antisemitic incidents every calendar month of the year. The 2025 average monthly total was 308 incidents, double that of the year before October 2023.In 2025, the CST recorded four incidents of extreme violence, including the Heaton Park attack, as well as 170 cases of assault, 217 cases of damage and desecration to Jewish property, such as homes, vehicles, synagogues, schools and businesses, and more than 3,000 cases of abuse.More than half of all incidents referenced Israel, Palestine, Hamas or the war in Gaza.However, there was a fall in antisemitic incidents in educational settings recorded by the CST. In schools, the number fell by 23%, from 266 in 2024 to 204 last year. There was a 41% decrease in university-related antisemitic incidents.Thirty-six incidents were linked to professional football, compared with 25 the previous year. Fourteen of the 2025 total were linked to the decision by West Midlands police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a match against Aston Villa in November.Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said: “Behind these shocking numbers are ordinary Jews suffering because of hate.” The government was providing record funding for security for Jewish communities in the UK, she added.Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “We can’t have hatred and extremism pouring out on our streets. It is morally wrong that Jewish residents here in the UK no longer feel safe. Words are not enough. Action is needed.”