In reaction to reports of some student societies supporting Hamas, the ministers have urged universities to "act swiftly and decisively against any threats" to students' welfare.
The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) has welcomed the letter and mentioned that their hotline had received more than 100 calls in a week about concerns from students who do not feel comfortable expressing Judaism on campus.
"We have received reports of Jewish students who have been harassed, intimidated and abused," UJS said.
In January, an independent investigation found that the National Union of Students (NUS) has failed to challenge antisemitism and hostility towards Jewish students, as they faced harassment and “have not felt welcome or included in NUS spaces” for at least the last decade.
In January, an independent investigation found that the National Union of Students (NUS) has failed to challenge antisemitism and hostility towards Jewish students
The letter from Keegan and Halfon does not mention any form of protection of Palestinian students.
In a BBC article, Adam Habib, the director of SOAS University of London, said that concerns for Jewish students are "entirely legitimate", but he also called the letter "unhelpful" as universities already have measures for discriminatory behaviour. Habib also added that being asked to police or sanction students for waving Palestinian flags is "not a reasonable request” as universities are "safe spaces" for a critical debate.
Universities UK, which represents 140 institutions, is urging any students facing antisemitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination of any form to inform their university.
However, hateful behaviour does not occur solely on campuses. According to The Guardian, both Islamophobic and antisemitic behaviour has increased since the beginning of October.
As shown by figures provided by the Metropolitan Police, from 1 October to 18 October, 218 antisemitic offences were committed in London, compared with 15 in the same period last year. Over the same period, Islamophobic offences had increased from 42 to 101.
