Antisemitic Incidents Surge Following Manchester Synagogue Terror Attack
The government's independent adviser on antisemitism has described the latest figures as 'deeply alarming' following the release of a comprehensive report documenting a sharp increase in anti-Jewish hate incidents across the United Kingdom. The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism nationwide, has revealed that dozens of antisemitic incidents were recorded in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester synagogue attack, with some individuals even celebrating the violent event.
Record Daily Totals Following Manchester Attack
The CST documented 40 antisemitic incidents on the day of the Manchester synagogue attack and an additional 40 incidents the following day, representing the highest daily totals recorded throughout the entire year. This disturbing spike occurred after the October terror attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, where worshippers Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed by 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born British citizen.
The attacker drove into the synagogue gates before launching a knife attack while wearing a fake suicide belt. This marked the United Kingdom's first fatal antisemitic terror attack since the CST began recording incidents in 1984, highlighting the escalating threat facing Jewish communities.
Government Adviser Expresses Grave Concern
Lord John Mann, the Government's independent adviser on antisemitism, stated it was 'particularly troubling' to witness the substantial number of incidents that occurred 'immediately after the horrific terrorist attack on Heaton Park Synagogue on Yom Kippur, celebrating the killing of British Jews on our streets.' He emphasized that the latest figures overall were 'deeply alarming and illustrate the unrelenting nature of antisemitism in our country today.'
The CST's comprehensive report covering the twelve months of 2025 concluded with the second-highest annual total ever recorded for anti-Jewish hate incidents, reaching 3,700 cases. This represents a 4 percent increase from the 3,556 incidents documented in 2024, though the record high remains at 4,298 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023 following Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
Unprecedented Monthly Figures and Property Damage
For the first time in recorded history, the 2025 report documented more than 200 cases of anti-Jewish hate in every calendar month throughout the year. Additionally, cases involving damage and desecration to Jewish property reached their highest annual total ever recorded, with 217 such incidents in 2025. This represents a significant 38 percent increase from the 157 incidents reported the previous year.
Reports of abusive behaviour accounted for the overwhelming majority of all cases, comprising 83 percent or 3,086 reports of anti-Jewish hate. These figures represent the highest levels recorded for any year aside from 2023, indicating a persistent pattern of hostility.
Direct Reactions to Manchester Attack
Of the 80 antisemitic incidents recorded across October 2 and October 3 last year, more than half (53 percent or 42 incidents) involved direct reactions to the Manchester synagogue attack. The CST detailed that three incidents involved 'face-to-face taunting and celebration of the attack to Jewish people,' while 39 were antisemitic social media posts referencing the attack, abusive responses to public condemnations from Jewish organisations and individuals, or antagonistic emails sent to Jewish people and institutions.
Additional Spike Following Sydney Attack
The CST report also identified a concerning spike in antisemitic incidents following the Bondi Beach killings in Sydney during December. The highest daily incident totals for that month occurred on December 14, the day of the attack, with 16 incidents reported, followed by 19 and 15 incidents recorded on the subsequent two days respectively. Of the 50 incidents across those three days, just under half (21) directly referenced the Bondi attack.
Community Security Trust Response
CST chief executive Mark Gardner stated: '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. All of this makes CST even more determined to keep protecting our community, giving it strength and dignity so it can lead the life of its choice.'
Political Responses and Police Action
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood branded the numbers 'shocking' and affirmed that the Government 'stands against the scourge of antisemitism.' She added: 'We are providing record funding for security at synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres. I will go further to strengthen police powers so they can crack down on intimidating protests.'
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said while the figures were 'appalling' they were 'not a surprise' and emphasized that the 'evil of antisemitism' must be called out. He added: 'Anyone espousing extremist views or who expresses support for terrorism, or racial or religious hatred of any kind, including antisemitism, who is not a British citizen should be removed from this country.'
Both the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police announced in December, days after the Bondi attack, that anyone chanting slogans such as 'globalise the intifada' would face arrest. The UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, welcomed the decision as 'an important step towards challenging the hateful rhetoric' seen on Britain's streets, though the move was decried as political repression by some campaigners.
Police Commitment to Protection
Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, the national policing lead for hate crime, stated that 2025 had been 'another difficult year for the Jewish community in the UK and elsewhere,' with continued 'unacceptably high' levels of antisemitic hate. He added: 'The tensions that exist in our society have not abated and are both deeper and more long-standing than anything we have experienced in modern times.'
He affirmed that police will 'continue to commit resources to protect our Jewish communities and bring perpetrators to justice, and we remain deeply grateful for the work of the Community Security Trust, who share our determination to protect citizens from antisemitic hostility and violence.'
Lord Mann concluded: 'Anti-Jewish racism is present in every sector and every corner of society. I thank CST for its tireless efforts to protect our Jewish communities. I will continue to champion those efforts and fight unrelentingly alongside them to ensure antisemitism has no place in Britain.'
