In the wake of Sydney
UK Government Promises New Antisemitism Plan "Within Days" After Bondi Beach
Communities Secretary Steve Reed spoke at a Labour Chanuka event and promised a new national plan to combat antisemitism in the coming days. The plan comes in response to Bondi Beach as well as massive spikes in antisemitic events across the UK in the last year.
The UK government will unveil a new national antisemitism action plan within days, Communities Secretary Steve Reed said Monday, amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Speaking at the Jewish Labour Movement’s Chanukah reception at a London synagogue, Reed said the strategy would address antisemitism “in all areas of public life,” including schools, universities, protests, media institutions, and public spaces. He said intimidation and hate directed at Jews would “no longer be tolerated.”
Reed’s announcement comes as antisemitic incidents in the UK have surged to record levels. According to the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-Jewish hate, incidents spiked dramatically following October 7 and have remained elevated ever since. Thousands of antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2024, making it one of the worst years on record, with figures far exceeding pre-October 2023 norms. Reports in 2025 indicate the trend has continued, with Jewish communities facing sustained harassment, threats, vandalism, and abuse, particularly around protests related to the Middle East.
Reed said he was personally shaken by last weekend’s Islamist terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where a Chanukah celebration was targeted and 16 people were murdered. He said he lit a candle in memory of the victims and stressed that mourning alone was insufficient. “We need to go beyond mourning the loss and the dead, and we need to act,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also addressed the event, describing antisemitism as a global challenge requiring international coordination. Referencing the Sydney attack, she said, “Once again, Jews were killed for being Jews in the 21st century,” and acknowledged the impact such attacks have on Jewish communities in Britain and worldwide.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-lead of Progressive Judaism, emphasized that while security measures are essential, Jewish safety also depends on political leadership that names antisemitism clearly and without qualification.
Senior Labour figures and Jewish communal leaders attending the event called for swift implementation of the government’s promised measures, warning that rising antisemitism has become a defining domestic challenge, not a marginal issue.