People attend a rally organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026, following the stabbing of two Jewish men the day before in the Golders Green neighborhood of northwest London (CARLOS JASSO / AFP)

Antisemitic assaults in Britain surged by 82% in first six months of 2026 — report

Community Security Trust says antisemitic incidents in UK rose 21% overall during first half of the year, with a marked spike recorded after start of US-Israel war with Iran

by · The Times of Israel

Antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom rose 21 percent in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, reaching the second-highest total on record for the first half of a year, according to a new report published Wednesday morning by the Community Security Trust.

The organization recorded 1,926 anti-Jewish hate incidents between January and June, up from 1,598 during the first half of 2025,

The total came out to an average of 321 monthly incidents, nearly double the figure from before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

Physical attacks rose sharply, with 135 recorded antisemitic assaults, an 82% increase year-over-year. Incidents in schools jumped 59% to 178, while synagogue-related incidents surged by 31%, CST reported.

The most serious incidents included the terror stabbing of two visibly Jewish men in Golders Green on April 29, which fueled 71 further anti-Jewish incidents over the next three days, CST said. The period also saw a series of arson attacks targeting London synagogues and Jewish-linked properties, including the burning of Hatzola ambulances and strikes on multiple synagogues that were linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and claimed by an organization later proscribed by the UK government.

The CST noted the antisemitic incidents spiked following the start of the US-Israel war with Iran in late February.

The Jew hatred recorded in the first half of this this year, which also followed a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester, northern England, last October in which two Jewish worshippers were killed, has left many Jews in Britain fearful.

The wreckage of burnt ambulances is seen in a car park at Golders Green in London, March 23, 2026, after an arson attack targeting the vehicles, which were run by a Jewish charity. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

“These attacks should concern everyone who cares about Britain and the threats against it, whether state-directed from Iran, or internally driven by Islamist, far Right, far Left, or other ideological extremes,” the CST’s chief executive Mark Gardner said.

“These attacks are directed against British Jews, but they are also attacks on Britain and our society.”

Policing minister Sarah Jones called the latest numbers “appalling,” adding “we must never stop fighting to rid society of this evil.”

“Antisemitism goes against our country’s values and I will do everything in my power to protect our Jewish communities,” she said.

Jones pointed to the government’s recent announcement that it would spend £250 million ($336.45 million) over the next three years to better protect Jewish communities, providing additional officers to help protect schools, synagogues and community centers.

“Thousands of Jewish families living in fear in their own country, and it is completely unacceptable,” said Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. “Antisemitism has no place in Britain and real action needs to be taken to stamp it out. This is a national emergency.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.