A new survey reports that most Jews in the United Kingdom are questioning their future in the country amid escalating antisemitic violence and concerns over policing and government response.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A majority of Jewish people in Britain are now considering leaving the country as antisemitism continues to rise, according to a new survey that reflects deepening anxiety within the community about safety, belonging, and the long-term future of Jewish life in the United Kingdom.
An annual poll conducted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism found that 61 percent of Jewish respondents are contemplating emigrating, an increase from 50 percent recorded last year. The findings, reported by The Telegraph, also showed that 51 percent of respondents said they do not see a long-term future for themselves in Britain, up sharply from 37 percent in 2024.
The survey further indicated that 45 percent of Jewish respondents no longer feel welcome in the country, while 83 percent said they believe police forces are failing to do enough to protect Jewish communities.
The polling was conducted in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur terror attack at Manchester’s Heaton Park synagogue in October, when two people were killed and four others injured during the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Authorities said the attack was carried out by Syrian migrant Jihad Al-Shamie, who drove a vehicle into worshippers before launching a stabbing attack while wearing a fake suicide vest. He was later shot dead by police at the scene.
A second suspect, British Pakistani Mohammad Asim Bashir, who was known to Al-Shamie, was charged earlier this month with preparation for acts of terrorism and three counts related to the dissemination of terrorist publications.
The survey results were released ahead of a separate terror attack targeting a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Sydney, where 15 people were killed in what authorities described as a suspected Islamist-motivated shooting allegedly carried out by a father-and-son pair, Sajid and Naveed Akram.
Following that attack, London’s Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police announced that they would arrest individuals who publicly chant the Islamist slogan “globalise the intifada,” which refers to expanding armed conflict against Israel to Jews and supporters of the Jewish state worldwide.
British police have previously faced sustained criticism for what critics describe as inconsistent enforcement of the country’s strict public-order and hate-speech laws during large anti-Israel demonstrations that erupted after the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. Since then, antisemitic incidents have surged across the UK, alongside similar increases reported in other European countries including France and Germany.
Commenting on the survey, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said the results reflected growing despair within the community. “The polling starkly tells how Jews blame two successive governments, as well as inert police chiefs and prosecutors for the explosion of anti-Semitic extremism, which has left two Jews dead and much of the rest of the community reluctantly eyeing the exits,” the spokesman said.
“After two years of two-tier policing and institutional cowardice, there is still an alarming lack of urgency from the authorities,” he added. “The appeasement of extremists has so far borne the same fruits as it always does: people dead at the hands of Islamists, the growing radicalisation of our children, the crumbling of law enforcement and now a community questioning whether it has a place in this country at all.”
A government spokesman said authorities are taking steps to respond to the threat. “We will not stand by whilst the scourge of anti-Semitism spreads in our society, and we’re taking action to protect our Jewish communities,” the spokesman said. “We’re providing an additional £10 million to the Community Security Trust to boost security at community sites, are reviewing hate crime legislation and are committed to taking further action.”
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