Universities must act on antisemitism, Bridget Phillipson says

Universities must take action to protect Jewish students from harassment and discrimination on campuses, Education Minister Bridget Phillipson said, as she laid out measures to combat antisemitism.

Stating that there is an “unacceptable increase in anti-Semitism” in universities, Phillipson stated that many Jewish students do not feel safe on campuses.

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

“There can be no room for harassment and intimidation,” said Phillipson, who appeared on BBC One’s Laura Kuenssberg program on Sunday. “Universities can and should act on this issue.”

Speaking at the programme, Priti Patel, the Conservative Party’s shadow foreign secretary, said the Labor government needed to “catch” antisemitism in the UK, including what she called “hate marches where people are so racist towards the Jewish community”.

He argued that “hate” was being displayed on the streets of London on Saturday, where thousands of protesters gathered for a rally in support of the Palestinians.

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

The protests continued despite calls from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who urged students not to take part, warning that “antisemitism is rising on our streets”.

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

A. Report from the Community Security TrustThe charity, which provides security for venues such as synagogues and Jewish schools, last year detected a 117% increase in anti-Semitic incidents on university campuses in the 2022/23 and 2023/2024 academic years compared to the previous two years.

Phillipson said he has spoken to Jewish students who feel the need to hide their identities.

“Jewish students do not feel safe on campus,” he said. “And a lot of times parents are worried about sending their kids to college. We can’t accept that. There’s no place for that.”

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

The government said the Union of Jewish Students would run 600 training sessions to help university staff support students and spot harassment and hate.

A £4m fund will support projects teaching students how to spot misinformation online and improve interfaith understanding.

Separately, £2 million is being allocated to a plan to teach secondary school students in England about the Holocaust, the genocide of Jews during the Second World War.

Patel said the Conservatives stood by the right to protest and freedom of expression.

But Patel told Laura Kuenssberg that pro-Palestinian marches in London were “ugly protests” that showed the “division and hatred” in our society.

“Look at what happened on the streets of London yesterday. Look at the level of hatred shown on the streets of London towards the Jewish community in Britain,” he said.

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, as well as a small group of pro-Israeli counter-protesters, gathered in central London on Saturday.

Slogans such as “Stop arming Israel” and “Liberate Palestine” were seen at the march, which took place a day after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza came into force.

The Metropolitan Police said 14 people were arrested for offenses including breaching Public Order Act conditions, fighting and supporting a proscribed group.