Nazi salutes in class: Report details growing antisemitic abuse in British schools

Parents describe harassment of students ranging from Holocaust references to threats of violence

Jewish students in British schools are facing a growing wave of antisemitic abuse, according to a report compiled by the advocacy group Parents Against Antisemitism, published Monday by The Times.

The report, based on more than 100 anonymous testimonies submitted to the government’s independent review into antisemitism in schools, described harassment ranging from Nazi salutes and Holocaust references to threats of violence and antisemitic conspiracy theories.

It was released as the country faces a growing wave of antisemitic attacks, including the recent stabbing of two Jews in Golders Green and the torching of four Hatzolah ambulances in March.

One London mother, identified only as Sarah, said her son was surrounded by classmates giving Nazi salutes during a drama class reenactment while he was the only Jewish student present. The gesture later spread to the playground, while students allegedly renamed a class Snapchat group “F— Israel, Heil Hitler.”

Voice messages circulated accusing the boy of being a pedophile “who thinks he can get away with it because he’s a Jew,” while classmates repeated antisemitic tropes claiming Jews controlled the world’s money and were responsible for the September 11 attacks, according to the report.

“He lost trust in his teachers,” Sarah said. “We had to take him out of the school.”

Another London parent, identified as Tessa, said her children experienced daily harassment after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Students allegedly chanted “Jew, Jew,” hissed “F— Israel,” drew swastikas on school walls, and told one of her sons they would “send our family to behead yours, like Jews deserve.”

A teacher also dismissed reports of mistreatment of Israeli hostages by Hamas as “Israeli propaganda,” Tessa said.

Parents interviewed for the report said schools often punished individual incidents but lacked broader strategies for addressing antisemitism.

“We urgently need political leadership and clear safeguarding measures to address the antisemitism crisis in schools so that Jewish pupils can feel safe again,” a spokesperson for Parents Against Antisemitism said.

Britain’s Department for Education called the allegations “horrible and concerning” and said antisemitism has “no place in our society or schools,” The Times reports.

Antisemitism has risen sharply in the UK since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023. Last year, some 3,700 incidents were recorded, second only to the 2023 total, according to the Community Security Trust, a nonprofit that monitors antisemitism and provides security for British Jews.