'Appalling' spike in anti-Semitic attacks in UK recorded after Iran war began
A stabbing in Golders Green, which left two men injured in April, triggered the highest daily anti-Semitic incident totals of the six-month period.
Anti-Semitism in the UK spiked in the immediate aftermath of the US and Israel launching their war on Iran and following a double stabbing of two visibly Jewish men in London, according to a report.
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Data from the Community Security Trust (CST), showed there were 1,926 anti-Semitic incidents recorded across the UK in January to June of 2026 – up by a fifth on the first half of last year from 1,598.
It is the second-highest total reported to CST in the first six months of any year, exceeded only by the 2,019 incidents recorded in the first half of 2024.
The statistics have been branded “appalling” by policing and crime minister Sarah Jones, who said each incident represents “people living in fear just for being who they are”.
The first few months of 2026 saw a series of arson attacks at Jewish sites in London, including on four Jewish community ambulances, as well as a double stabbing in Golders Green which was treated as an act of terrorism.
The CST, which monitors anti-Semitic in the UK, said the April 29 stabbings, which left two men injured, triggered the highest daily anti-Semitic incident totals of the six-month period.
Read more: The real impact of antisemitism goes far beyond the headlines
A total of 71 incidents were recorded by CST in the three days following the stabbing, 16 of which the organisation said directly referenced the attack.
The CST said some of the incidents “celebrated the violence and called for further injuries to Jewish people, or used the incident to promote anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and anti-Jewish abuse”.
Meanwhile, the organisation said the week following February 28, which marked the start of the war on Iran by Israel and the US, saw a 71% jump in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK compared with the week before – from 52 to 89.
Last week, a man from Brighton pleaded guilty over a Facebook post suggesting throwing eggs, fruit and stink bombs at synagogues and Jewish businesses.
The timing of the post, made on the day the war began, prompted the prosecutor in the case to ask for him to be given a tougher sentence for a race hate crime.
He is expected to be sentenced in September.
The Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right – a new terrorism group with suspected links to pro-Iranian networks, according to Israel’s ministry for diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism – has claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks, including the torching of the Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green in March.
In July, the Government, under then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, said it was laying draft regulations before Parliament to designate as a threat to national security the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right as well as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The move is designed to tackle Iranian-backed groups recruiting criminals for acts targeting the Jewish community.
CST chief executive Mark Gardner said the incidents detailed in its latest report “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 Government’s independent advisor on anti-Semitic, Lord Mann, said the latest figures “demonstrate that anti-Jewish racism in the UK remains at an all-time high and continues to pose a significant threat to our democracy”.
He added: “It is especially concerning to see the nature of antisemitism in the UK becoming increasingly violent, from the stabbing of two British Jews in Golders Green, to a series of arson attacks against synagogues and Jewish-linked properties.
“I would like to thank CST and the police for their relentless efforts to protect the British Jewish community, and I will continue to work alongside them to ensure zero tolerance for anti-Jewish hatred in this country.”
Speaking for the Government, Ms Jones said: “Behind these appalling numbers are people living in fear just for being who they are.
“Anti-Semitism goes against our country’s values, and I will do everything in my power to protect our Jewish communities.
“We are investing a record £250 million to boost policing in Jewish neighbourhoods. I am also proud to work hand in hand with the CST to protect synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres. We must never stop fighting to rid society of this evil.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said anti-Semitism is “a national emergency”, adding: “We need to increase police presence, have urgent prosecutions, put a moratorium on marches, implement maximum sentencing and deterrence, conduct a comprehensive audit of counter-terrorism cases involving anti-Semitic motivation, and deport foreigners who express anti-Semitic views or support for violence or terrorism.”