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The education secretary has told universities they have her ¡°full backing¡± to use their powers to stop antisemitism on campuses as the government sets out additional measures to tackle abuse.?

In the wake of an attack on a synagogue in Manchester, Bridget Phillipson has called on institutions to protect Jewish students from harassment, saying ¡°one instance of antisemitic abuse is one too many¡±.

She continued: ¡°The buck stops with universities when it comes to ridding their campuses of hate ¨C and they have my full backing to use their powers to do so.¡±?

In the coming weeks, the Union of Jewish Students will begin delivering 600 training sessions to help university staff support students, identify harassment and hate, and facilitate open debate.

The government has also set extra funding aside for projects in schools focused on promoting interfaith understanding.

Speaking to the BBC, Phillipson said Jewish students ¡°don¡¯t feel safe¡± on campuses and parents can worry about sending their children to university.

Instances of antisemitism have risen on campuses since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war in 2022.

A 2024 report by the Community Security Trust (CST) charity found that 325 university-related antisemitic incidents were reported across the UK in the preceding two years ¨C more than double the figure in CST¡¯s previous report in 2022.

Phillipson has now written to vice-chancellors, urging them to take ¡°practical and proportionate steps¡± to protect Jewish students from harassment, while continuing to protect lawful free speech and upholding the right to peaceful protest on campus.

In August, new regulations came into force that require universities to outline what they are doing to prevent harassment. Under the rules, the Office for Students (OfS), England¡¯s higher education regulator, can sanction institutions that are seen as failing to protect students.

At the same time, new laws were introduced compelling institutions to protect free speech on campuses, leaving universities now attempting to juggle both sets of requirements.

In a statement, the Department for Education said: ¡°The government has made clear that while institutions must support lawful protest, this does not extend to harassment, intimidation or incitement to violence.

¡°Universities must manage protests in a way that allows all students to participate fully in university life.¡±

Phillipson is expected to meet with university leaders, the OfS, Universities UK, the police and faith community organisations for a ¡°high-level round table¡± on campus cohesion.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com