CST Report: Anti-Semitic Incidents 2024

In 2024, the Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 3,528 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, marking a decrease of 18% from the record high of 4,296 incidents in 2023, which was fueled by responses to the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7. Despite the decrease, the 2024 figure remains 56% higher than the third-highest annual total recorded in 2021. A significant portion of these incidents, 52%, included rhetoric related to the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The report also highlights trends in online anti-Semitism, the impact of Middle East conflicts on anti-Jewish hate, and the prevalence of anti-Semitic discourse within political, religious, and ideological contexts. The CST works to combat anti-Semitism by recording and analyzing incidents, providing security advice and training, and representing the Jewish community to police and legislative bodies.

An executive summary of the report is below. For the full report, click here.

Executive Summary

CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2024, the second-highest total ever reported to CST in a single calendar year. This is a decrease of 18% from the 4,296 anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded by CST in 2023, which remains the record annual total ever reported, and was fuelled by responses to the 7 October terror attack by Hamas on Israel that year. CST recorded 1,662 antisemitic incidents in 2022, 2,261 in 2021, and 1,684 in 2020.
Although the 3,528 anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded in 2024 is a fall from the all-time high of 2023, it remains an unusually large total: 56% higher than the third-highest annual figure of 2,261 incidents reported in 2021. It is a reflection of the sustained levels of antisemitism that have been recorded across the UK since the Hamas terror attack in Israel on 7 October 2023. CST’s Antisemitic Incidents Report 2023 charted the immediacy and scope of the rise in anti-Jewish hate following that attack, before Israel had set in motion any extensive military response in Gaza. The subsequent ongoing war, and the public attention that it continues to hold, impacted both the volume and content of antisemitism in 2024.
The three highest annual totals of antisemitic incidents, recorded in 2023, 2024 and 2021 respectively, have all been driven by anti-Jewish reactions to conflict in the Middle East. Of all these calendar years, 2024 is the only one for which war in the region lasted its entirety. CST recorded over 200 incidents in every month apart from December. Before October 2023, CST had only received more than 200 monthly reports of anti-Jewish hate five times, all of which coincided with wars involving Israel. February’s, January’s and March’s respective tallies of 446, 392 and 321 antisemitic incidents render them the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-worst months for anti-Jewish hate in the UK on CST’s record.
The sheer quantity of incidents consistently recorded across the twelve months of 2024 shows two trends that are in line with CST’s previous analyses. First, that trigger events involving Israel spark antisemitic reactions in the UK: from those who celebrate attacks on Israel and Israelis via the method or language of anti-Jewish hate; those who target British Jews with their anger over this geopolitical issue; and those who exploit these occurrences as an opportunity to voice their preexisting, general anti-Jewish prejudice. Second, that when a trigger event such as the 7 October attack occurs, antisemitic incidents initially spike to a record peak; then gradually recede until they plateau at a higher level than before the original trigger event occurred. Hence, in the year leading up to 7 October, CST recorded an average of 154 cases of anti-Jewish hate per month; in 2024, this monthly average almost doubled, to 294 antisemitic incidents per month.
The extended period of increased incident numbers partly reflects the unprecedented length of this particular conflict in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, and its high profile in media and political debate throughout the entire year. Anti-Israel protests also continued throughout 2024 – albeit less frequently and with smaller attendance than in late 2023 – as have vigils for Israeli hostages held in Hamas captivity. This has not only ensured prolonged public interest in the subject matter, but has also provoked debate about antisemitism itself. These circumstances have contributed to an amplified uncertainty and fear among Jewish individuals and communities, who understand that they may become targetsby-proxy for anti-Israel enmity and, in turn, have more motivation to report anti-Jewish hate when they see it.
The lasting impact of the conflict in the Middle East on anti-Jewish discourse in the UK is evident in the fact that rhetoric related to the conflict featured in 1,844 (52%) of the 3,528 antisemitic incidents reported to CST in 2024, alongside anti-Jewish language, motivation or targeting. In comparison, 43% of 2023’s incidents referenced or were linked to Israel, Palestine, the Hamas terror attack or subsequent war, most of which occurred after 7 October 2023. In 2022, a year unaffected by a significant trigger event in the Middle East, only 15% of the anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded were inflected with this discourse. There were 1,533 incidents in 2024 that showed explicitly anti-Zionist motivation alongside antiJewish language or targeting, comprising 43% of the annual total, compared to 31% in 2023. Variations on the terms “Zionism” or “Zionist” were used on 422 occasions, often as euphemisms for “Jewishness” and “Jew”, or in conjunction with other anti-Jewish sentiment, rising from 271 instances in 2023. At least 355 incidents were reported to CST wherein the phrase “Free Palestine” was employed in an antisemitic way. Although CST does not record uses of this phrase in and of itself as antisemitic, in each of these incidents, it was targeted at Jewish people or institutions in a hostile manner simply because they were Jewish, or comprised part of a larger tirade that involved explicitly anti-Jewish language.
One hundred and fifty-six antisemitic incidents recorded by CST in 2024 contained discourse relating to Islam, Muslims and Islamist groups, while 65 evidenced radical Islamist ideology. The former figure has risen from 129 incidents in 2023, while the latter has fallen from 88.
In total, 2,589 (73%) of the 3,528 antisemitic incidents presented one or more political or ideological discourses, motivations, tropes or conspiracy theories. This was the case in 2,731 (64%) of the 4,296 incidents reported in 2023, and 834 (50%) of the 1,662 recorded in 2022. The rise in politicised language and motivations further demonstrates the impact of extremisms of different kinds on anti-Jewish hate in the UK. Meanwhile, 344 incidents, 10% of the annual total, combined two or more of these narratives. In 2023, this figure was 240, 6% of the overall figure. The coexistence of multiple rhetoric strands within the same incident reflects the complexity of contemporary antisemitism. Numerous stereotypes and myths about Jewish people are deeply embedded in collective and individual consciousness and shared by different extremist ideologies and movements, forming a library of reference points from which antisemites from distinct value systems can draw.
CST recorded 201 incidents in the category of Assault in 2024, a decrease of 26% from 273 reported in 2023 and the second-highest total in this category for any calendar year. There was one additional incident severe enough to be classed as Extreme Violence (meaning it involved grievous bodily harm or a threat to life) whereas none did the previous year. Taken together, physical attacks on Jewish people constitute 6% of the annual total in 2024, the same as in 2023.
Cases of Damage and Desecration to Jewish property fell by 19%, from 195 in 2023 to 157 in 2024, again the secondhighest annual figure in this category. Forty of these involved damage to the homes and vehicles of Jewish people, 37 to posters or memorials of Hamas’ victims, 19 to the property of Jewish businesses and organisations (including three to public chanukiahs – a candelabra used during the festival of Chanukah), 19 to synagogues, and eight to Jewish schools.
There were 250 incidents reported to CST in the category of Threats in 2024, which includes direct threats and explicit incitement of violence to people, institutions or property, rather than general abuse containing non-specific threatening language. This is a decrease of 20% from the 314 incidents of this type recorded in 2023, making it this category’s secondhighest ever annual total.
CST recorded 2,892 reports in the category of Abusive Behaviour in 2024, more than in any other year bar 2023 and a 17% fall from that year’s record of 3,491 such incidents. This figure eclipses every previous annual figure across all categories with the exception of 2023, and forms 82% of all cases of anti-Jewish hate reported to CST in 2024.
There were 27 incidents reported to CST in the category of mass-produced antisemitic Literature in 2024, rising by 17% from 23 such incidents recorded in 2023.
A high volume of anti-Jewish hate was reported in the school sector. In 2024, there were 63 antisemitic incidents recorded at Jewish schools, compared to 88 in 2023. A further 88 incidents involved Jewish schoolchildren away from school, often on their daily commute, compared to 111 incidents of this type reported in 2023. One hundred and nine incidents targeted Jewish schoolchildren or staff at non-faith schools, decreasing from 136 in 2023. This constitutes a total of 260 school-related cases of anti-Jewish hate in 2024, second only to 2023’s figure of 335. The breakdown of such incidents over the last two years is revealing: in 2024 and 2023, more incidents of anti-Jewish hate in the school sector occurred at non-faith schools than on schoolchildren’s commutes. In 2022, a year without a significant trigger event involving Israel, 41 incidents impacted pupils on their way to or from their place of education, and 37 took place at non-Jewish schools.
Anti-Jewish hate was also recorded in high quantities in the higher education sphere. In 2024, 145 antisemitic incidents were reported to CST wherein the victims or offenders were students or academics, or which involved student unions, societies or other representative bodies. Of these, 66 occurred on campus or university property, and 65 took place online. While it is a decrease of 23% from the 189 such incidents recorded in 2023, when 68 happened on campus and 94 online, it remains the second-highest annual total for university-related antisemitic incidents in CST records. Of these 145 reports, 99 (68%) included references to Israel and the Middle East alongside anti-Jewish language, motivation or targeting, whereas this was the case for 52% of the incidents not linked to higher education.
One hundred and sixty-four antisemitic incidents in 2024 targeted synagogues, including buildings, congregants and staff. Congregants on their way to or from prayers were victims in a further 59, compared to 157 and 50 respectively in 2023. This is a net rise of 8% in incidents affecting synagogues and the people travelling to, from, or already inside them, from 207 to 223 reports – the most that CST has ever recorded in a year. Synagogues are symbolic and often very visible targets for those seeking a target for their anti-Jewish hate. Fifty-eight (35%) of the 164 incidents directed at synagogues were hateful and threatening messages delivered by phone or email.
CST recorded 1,240 cases of online antisemitism in 2024, the second-highest across any year and a decrease of 9% from the 1,360 online incidents reported in 2023. These incidents form 35% of the overall total, slightly more than 32% in 2023, and a jump from 22% in 2022. The numerical and proportional rises charted over the past two years are partly a consequence of the ongoing war in the Middle East, and the way this subject matter prompts discussion and debate on social media platforms. Sometimes, this dialogue slips into anti-Jewish discourse. Of these 1,240 incidents, 885 (71%) were directly related somehow to Israel and events in the region. This was true of just 959 (42%) of the 2,288 ‘offline’ cases of antisemitism reported in 2024.
This total for online incidents is only indicative, as the actual amount of antisemitic content that is generated and disseminated on online platforms is much larger. In some cases, social media has been used as a tool for coordinated campaigns of antisemitic harassment, threats and abuse directed at Jewish public figures and other individuals. Where this is the case, CST will record a coordinated campaign as a single incident, even if it involves multiple tweets, posts, messages or comments. CST does not trawl the internet looking for online incidents to log and will only record online incidents that are reported to CST by a victim, witness or other third party, and where either the offender or the victim is based in the UK.
Online antisemitism formed the bedrock for the three highest daily totals of anti-Jewish hate reported to CST in 2024. CST recorded 45 antisemitic incidents on 15 February when CST published its Antisemitic Incidents Report 2023, 36 of which occurred online; 32 on 8 August when the Antisemitic Incidents Report January-June 2024 was released, 24 of which occurred online; and 30 on 29 February – 18 of which were online – when the government announced the extension of the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant that CST administers, in partnership with the Home Office, to pay for commercial security guards at synagogues and Jewish schools across the country. This means that 72% of incidents on the three worst days for antisemitism took place on virtual fora, proportionally more than double the 37% of incidents that happened in this space across the entire year, all of which were in response to news stories about increases in antisemitism. Issues of anti-Jewish hate and the need for community protection, when raised publicly, ignite reactions that perpetuate anti-Jewish prejudice, ironically making clear the necessity of such initiatives. In these instances, the anger manifests disproportionately online.
In periods when the content and volume of anti-Jewish hate in the UK are affected by war in the Middle East, Holocaust-related discourse – which at other times is the most prevalent single narrative present in antisemitic incidents – is largely displaced by anti-Israel rhetoric. There were still 909 incidents reported to CST in 2024 where the Holocaust or Nazi era were invoked, comprising 26% of all incidents, falling from 1,001 cases in 2023 (23% of that year’s total). Among these 909 reports, there were 61 cases of Holocaust denial, compared to 70 in 2023, and 138 of Holocaust celebration, falling from 190 the previous year. On eight occasions, perpetrators simultaneously denied and glorified the Holocaust, showcasing the twisted logic and cognitive dissonance that can exist in the minds of those who hate Jews. Forty-six of the incidents celebrating the persecution of Jews under Nazi rule did so in the context of antiIsrael sentiment, usually lamenting Israel’s existence as a consequence of Hitler’s failure to exterminate the entirety of world Jewry, or expressing a desire for a repeat of the Holocaust due to Israel’s alleged actions. CST recorded 175 cases of antiJewish hate demonstrating explicit far-right ideological motivation, an increase from 154 incidents evidencing this form of extremism in 2023. Direct comparisons were drawn between Israel or Jewish people and the Nazis in 327 cases, up from 257 in 2023, joining together Holocaust and Israel-related discourses and counted among the tallies for each.
Conspiracy theories were present in 487 (14%) of the 3,528 antisemitic incident reports in 2024, rising from 325 (8%) of the 4,296 incidents in 2023. From these, 345 spoke of malevolent Jewish manipulation of global politics, media, finance and other walks of life, compared to 268 in 2023. One hundred and eight involved lies regarding religious rituals and practices, rising from 40 in 2023. This specific, stark increase can be attributed to the Blood Libel myth, which has been given new life by antisemites who frame the tragic death of innocent Gazan children as a result of Jewish lust for infant blood.
There were 100 incidents in which specific aspects of Judaism were attacked or deliberately mischaracterised to antisemitic ends, nearly double the 58 cases of this kind recorded in 2023. Of these, 45 manipulated ideas and stories taken from religious scripture (over the 21 reported in 2023); 39 targeted religious holy books (compared to 18 in 2023); and 16 focused on religious traditions (21 in 2023). On 332 occasions, anti-Jewish hate was expressed through stereotypes, dehumanising language or caricatures, a rise from 179 in 2023.
In 2024, a year that included a general election, CST recorded 70 incidents connected to specific political parties or their supporters. Fifty of these were linked to the discussion around the Labour Party: a small increase from 2023, when 45 incidents were Labour Party-related. Thirty-nine of these 50 instances of anti-Jewish hate also made reference to the Middle East. There were two antisemitic incidents associated with the Conservative Party (equal to 2023’s total), one with the Liberal Democrats and one with the Green Party, seven with the Socialist Workers Party, one with the National Housing Party UK, and seven with independent parliamentary candidates and councillors (all of which had no related incidents in 2023). Nine of these 70 politically motivated incidents took place between the announcement of the general election on 22 May and the confirmation of the election results on 4 July.
CST recorded 1,847 antisemitic incidents in Greater London, falling by 24% from the 2023 total of 2,441 London-based incidents. Four hundred and eighty cases of anti-Jewish hate were reported in Greater Manchester, a decrease of 13% from 556 incidents in the corresponding area in 2023. In both regions, these are the second-highest annual incident figures on record, and they comprise 66% of the national total, whereas they formed 70% in 2023. These communal hubs are where the majority of the UK’s Jewish population resides, and are consistently the principal targets of anti-Jewish prejudice.
CST recorded 1,847 antisemitic incidents in Greater London, falling by 24% from the 2023 total of 2,441 London-based incidents. Four hundred and eighty cases of anti-Jewish hate were reported in Greater Manchester, a decrease of 13% from 556 incidents in the corresponding area in 2023. In both regions, these are the second-highest annual incident figures on record, and they comprise 66% of the national total, whereas they formed 70% in 2023. These communal hubs are where the majority of the UK’s Jewish population resides, and are consistently the principal targets of anti-Jewish prejudice.
Within Greater London, 791 antisemitic incidents occurred in Barnet, the local authority with the largest Jewish community in the UK. There were 213 instances of antisemitism recorded in Westminster, 170 in Camden, 96 in Hackney and 56 in Brent. The figure for Greater London would be higher, were it not for a technical problem from March onwards that disrupted the flow of reports received from the Metropolitan Police as part of CST’s information exchange with police forces. CST’s collaboration with police is of huge value, and remains a core component of CST’s daily work.
Incident totals in Westminster have ranked higher within Greater London’s statistics ever since 7 October 2023 than in previous years. Westminster is the country’s political centre, and has played host to many of the capital’s anti-Israel demonstrations and vigils for Hamas’ victims. While mostly peaceful events, they have attracted individuals reported to CST for anti-Jewish placards and hate speech. At least 28 antisemitic incidents took place in Westminster either at, or in transit to or from, anti-Israel marches or vigils for the hostages.
Of Greater Manchester’s 480 antisemitic incidents, 161 occurred in the City of Manchester, 129 in Bury, 115 in Salford, 26 in Trafford and 16 in Stockport.
The only police constabularies within which CST did not record a single antisemitic incident in 2024 were Lincolnshire and Suffolk. Anti-Jewish hate manifests across the UK and, with the potential amplification provided by online platforms, can now find articulation and reach regardless of proximity to visible Jewish communities.
Apart from Greater London and Greater Manchester, the police regions with the highest numbers of recorded antisemitic incidents in 2024 were West Yorkshire with 184 incidents (up from 165 in 2023); Hertfordshire with 117 (113 in 2023); Scotland with 74 (68 in 2023); Thames Valley with 65 (43 in 2023); and West Midlands with 63 (equal to 2023’s total).
Aside from boroughs in Greater London and Greater Manchester, the cities and towns in the UK where anti-Jewish hate was most frequently reported were Leeds in West Yorkshire (129 incidents); Borehamwood & Elstree in Hertfordshire (49 incidents); Birmingham in West Midlands (47 incidents); Brighton & Hove in Sussex (43 incidents); and Liverpool in Merseyside (38 incidents).
There were 950 incidents reported to CST in 2024 in which the victims were ordinary Jewish individuals in public. In at least 495 incidents, they were visibly Jewish on account of their traditional clothing, Jewish school uniforms, jewellery and insignia bearing religious symbols, or presence at public Jewish events. In 2023, this was true of 989 and 416 incidents respectively.
Thirty-one antisemitic incidents were related to places of work and professional online fora in 2024, rising from 26 such incidents in 2023, while Jewish businesses and organisations – four of which were youth movements – were targeted on a record 652 occasions, rising by 31% from the 498 incidents of this kind in 2023. Of these 652 reported cases, 546 (84%) occurred online, 500 (77%) contained discourse relating to the conflict in the Middle East, and 139 (21%) involved allegations of Jewish interference in, and power over, various world affairs.
A record 179 instances of anti-Jewish hate were reported to CST in 2024 wherein the victim was an individual of public prominence, an increase of 23% from the 145 incidents of this nature reported in 2023. Of these, 170 (95%) took place online, 136 (76%) referenced Israel and circumstances in the Middle East, and 53 (30%) indulged in the myth of global Jewish control. These totals convey the extent to which public figures and communal bodies, both Jewish and non-Jewish, are collectively held responsible for Israel’s alleged behaviour. In some cases, they are accused of selling their political integrity to Israel, which draws on the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews use financial muscle to wield power throughout society.
There were 165 incidents that took place at people’s residential properties or affected parked vehicles in 2024, a small decrease from 180 incidents of this type in 2023. Fifty-six of these were perpetrated by a neighbour or somebody with a prior relationship to the victim, forming part of the 233 cases of anti-Jewish hate where this was the case: just over the 232 such incidents recorded in 2023 but a larger proportion of the annual figure. Ninety-three (40%) of these “interpersonal” incidents used rhetoric referencing Israel and the war. It demonstrates how, in the context of conflict in the Middle East, personal relationships can be damaged, whether between classmates, colleagues, neighbours and friends.
There were 24 antisemitic incidents reported to CST in 2024 that took place in the context of professional football, falling from 43 such incidents in 2023. Reports of anti-Jewish hate in grassroots or amateur football also marginally fell, from 19 incidents in 2023 to 17 in 2024. A further two incidents occurred in other amateur sporting environments: one in a basketball match, and one in a tennis game.
CST received a description of the victims’ gender in 1,753 of the 3,528 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024. Of these, 946 (54%) were male; 653 (37%) were female; two (<1%) were non-binary; and in 152 incidents (9%), the victims were mixed groups of males and females.
The sustained high levels of antisemitism reported in the school sector correlate with an increase in the proportion of children amongst incident victims in general. Of the 1,773 instances in which the victim or victims’ age was ascertained by CST, 279 (16%) targeted victims exclusively under the age of 18. A further 110 incidents (6% of the incidents where victim age was given) impacted mixed groups of adults and minors, meaning children were among the victims in 22% of reports of anti-Jewish hate in 2024. This proportion has been on the rise since 2020, when the victims were exclusively children in 8% of incidents, and a combination of adults and minors in a further 3%. These figures were 14% and 4% respectively in 2021, 15% and 5% in 2022, and 17% and 4% in 2023.
CST will ask incident victims or witnesses if they can describe the person, or people, who committed the incident they are reporting. Interactions between perpetrators and victims may be crude and brief, leaving little reliable information, and while it is often possible to receive reports regarding the apparent appearance or motivation of incident offenders, this is not absolute proof of the offenders’ actual ethnic or religious identity, nor of their motivation. In addition, many incidents do not involve face-to-face contact between offender and victim, so there is no physical description of the offender. With these caveats, CST does provide data regarding the ethnic appearance, age and gender of incident offenders.
CST obtained a description of the ethnic appearance of the offender or offenders in 1,241 of the 3,528 antisemitic incidents reported during 2024. Of these, 570 (46%) were described as white – North European; 33 (3%) as white – South European; 121 (10%) as black; 160 (13%) as South Asian; seven (1%) as Southeast Asian; and 350 (28%) as Arab or North African. This breakdown is close to that reported in 2023, but diverges from what is typically reported in years when UK based antisemitism is largely unaffected by events in the Middle East. For example, in 2022, 51% of perpetrators were described as white – North European; 5% as white – South European; 16% as black; 10% as South Asian; less than 1% as Southeast Asian; and 18% as Arab or North African. This demographic shift matches that witnessed during Israel-related conflicts in previous years, when antisemitic incident offenders of North African, Arab or South Asian appearance were more highly represented than usual.
A description of the gender of the offender or offenders was provided to CST in 2,015 of the 3,528 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024. Of these, the offenders were described as male in 1,565 incidents (78% of incidents where the offender’s gender was obtained); female in 388 incidents (19%); and mixed groups of males and females in 62 incidents (3%).
In 1,856 of the 3,528 reports of antisemitism in 2024, the approximate age of the offender or offenders was given. Among these, 1,549 (84%) involved adult offenders, 35 of which involved adults described to be over the age of 65; in 304 cases (16%), the perpetrators were minors; there were three instances where the offenders were a mix of adults and children.
In addition to the 3,528 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024, a further 2,479 potential incidents were reported to CST that are not included among this report’s statistics as, upon investigation, they did not evidence antisemitic motivation, language or targeting. Many of these incidents involve suspicious activity or possible hostile reconnaissance at Jewish locations, and they play an important role in CST’s provision of protection to the Jewish community. This total of non-incidents also includes ordinary anti-Israel rhetoric and activism that does not meet CST’s threshold for classifying as antisemitic. It is the highest number of non-antisemitic incidents that CST has ever recorded in a year, rising from 2,230 in 2023, and reflects the general increase in anti-Israel rhetoric throughout the year as war in the Middle East has persisted. It also reflects a Jewish community that has felt a heightened sense of uncertainty and fear, and therefore may be more inclined to report any perceived hostile activity.

Source: “Anti-Semitic Incidents,” CST, (February 12, 2025).