The anniversary of 7 October: protest, timing and keeping campuses safe

Over the last three years, there has been a deeply concerning rise in antisemitic incidents in the UK, including on university campuses. The Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 178 university-related antisemitic incidents in the academic years 2024-26. The most common discourse present in university incidents concerned Israel, Gaza, Hamas, the terrorist attack of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent conflicts in the Middle East. Sixty-two percent of incidents contained such references alongside anti-Jewish language, motivation or targeting. Universities have a responsibility to protect Jewish students and staff from abuse, and to ensure that students and staff clearly understand where the expression of a strongly held view becomes antisemitism and harassment, and when the nature or timing of protest may have the effect of chilling the expression of other views, or make Jewish students afraid to express themselves or identify themselves as Jewish. 

Universities must be places where contentious views can be expressed, not just because they have a legal duty to uphold free speech – including the right to protest - but because nowhere else in society is as well placed as universities to educate a large number of young people on effective disagreement, and where the boundaries between legitimate protest and antisemitism lie. 

 This is a continuous challenge, but one which we take very seriously. We believe that universities can and should play a role in supporting healthy democracy and social cohesion, and that they are often on the front line in providing space for groups of people who may strongly disagree with each other to share a campus, and to study and work alongside each other. 

The anniversary of 7 October is a sensitive day. We know that university leaders are primed to ensure that any  activity on and around the day is carefully managed, including any protest activity. 

Last year, the Office for Students (OfS), which regulates English universities in relation to both protecting free speech and preventing harassment, wrote to OfS-registered providers about the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students and staff. The letter reminded universities that: 

• The duty to secure lawful free speech does not prevent universities from having robust anti-harassment policies, including on antisemitic harassment. 
• Free speech duties do not require universities to secure speech that amounts to unlawful support for a proscribed organisation. 
• Universities can proportionately regulate the time, place and manner of a protest to address intimidation of Jewish students or the chilling of pro-Israel speech – for example, moving a protest away from a synagogue, Jewish student accommodation or a teaching space. 
• Any steps to regulate the time, place and manner of protest must be viewpoint-neutral, and must not be used to suppress legally expressible views, including pro-Palestinian views. 
• Under condition E6, universities must provide clear reporting routes, credible and fair investigations, and appropriate support, and must take disciplinary action where it is warranted. 

In advance of this year’s October 7th anniversary, Arif Ahmed, Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the OfS, said: 

We are asking university leaders to: 

• maintain close contact with Jewish student groups (many of whom may be holding vigils and commemorations on October 7th), the Union of Jewish Students and University Jewish Chaplaincy 
• ensure that any planned activity on and around the day is carefully managed, including any protest activity 
• review security arrangements 
• help students and staff to recognise racial and religious harassment, and to understand where the boundaries between legitimate protest and antisemitism lie 
• publicise mechanisms for reporting antisemitic incidents, and encourage students and staff to report incidents both to the university and to the Community Security Trust 
• make sure Jewish students and staff are welcome, safe and supported 

Resources to help universities tackle antisemitism: 

• Tackling antisemitism: practical guidance for universities – Universities UK 
• Time for Change report – UJS 
• Best practice guidance – UJS (which contains a section on October 7th commemoration) 
• CST campus antisemitism report 2024-26  - CST
• Promoting good relations in higher education – Advance HE  
• The students' guide to antisemitism – CST and UJS 
• Educational resources on antisemitism – CST 
• CST Student Helpline – CST
• Harassment and intimidation of Jewish students and staff – OfS 

Antisemitic incidents can be reported to CST. Jewish students can contact UJS for support through its Welfare Hotline on 020 7424 3288. Any hate crime can be reported to the police – in an emergency, always call 999.