The greatest antisemitic terrorist threat in Europe stems from jihadist terrorism, a new analysis of real-life antisemitic incidents by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) and the European Jewish Congress (EJC) has concluded.
The ICCT, together with the Security and Crisis Centre (SACC) of the EJC, conducted a one-year monitoring exercise between 1 January and 31 December 2025 of offline manifestations of antisemitism across all European Union member states, as well as the UK and Switzerland.
In total, 254 incidents were identified over the course of the year. It is, however, likely that the real figure was much greater, as many victims do not report the incidents.
The distribution of incidents was relatively even across 2025, with an average of 21 incidents per month. Peaks were recorded in December, with 36 incidents, and in September, with 33 incidents, while the lowest number was recorded in February, with nine incidents.
ICCT and EJC said this pattern demonstrates that antisemitism is not merely an event-driven phenomenon that spikes around specific geopolitical developments, but a “persistent feature of everyday life affecting Jewish communities across Europe.”
Likewise, antisemitic incidents were recorded across all monitored countries. The four most populous European countries, Germany (58 incidents), France (54 incidents), Italy (29 incidents), and the UK (27 incidents) also recorded the highest numbers of cases. Germany and France alone accounted for nearly half of all registered incidents.
When adjusting for population size, there was a slight change in the pattern: France recorded the highest incidence rate, followed by Bulgaria and Greece. Physical attacks were particularly common in France, and vandalism dominated in Italy and the Netherlands.
Within the monitoring, actual incidents of antisemitic terrorism were comparatively rare. Throughout 2025, Europe witnessed two attacks linked to IS-inspired jihadist terrorism: a stabbing attack near the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin in February, in which the perpetrator later stated that he had intended to kill Jews, and the Yom Kippur attack in Manchester.
Vandalism accounted for the highest share of antisemitic incidents
By far, the most common category was vandalism, accounting for more than half of all recorded incidents, with 131 out of 254 cases. Most acts of vandalism targeted Holocaust memorials, accounting for 41 incidents. Other common targets included synagogues, with 23 incidents, and Jewish cemeteries, with 11 incidents.
Vandalism was followed by physical attacks, with 48 incidents. Although generally falling short of the threshold of terrorism, a number of these attacks involved weapons, most commonly knives as well as blunt objects such as bottles.
FURTHERMORE, 40 incidents were classified as hate speech, 21 as harassment, while 14 could not be attributed to any of the predefined categories.
ICCT and EJC also tracked state legal responses following the antisemitic incidents. Authorities opened an investigation in approximately 75% of cases.
In 36 cases, primarily involving assaults or harassment, perpetrators were temporarily detained at the scene. In the case of the terrorist attack in Manchester, the perpetrator was shot dead by police. While authorities generally demonstrated a willingness to investigate incidents, in approximately 66% of all cases no perpetrators had yet been identified at the time of writing.
Of the 31 cases that proceeded to court, seven resulted in prison sentences, two resulted in fines, and three concluded with acquittals.
ICCT and EJC concluded that, though only a relatively small share of the 254 antisemitic incidents was terrorist in nature, the terrorist threat facing Jewish communities in Europe is significant and spans across multiple ideological milieus.
European Jewish communities face significant terror risk
Although terrorist attacks represented only a small proportion of the 254 incidents recorded, the report warns that the terrorist threat facing Jewish communities in Europe is significant and spans across multiple ideological milieus.
As demonstrated by the series of attacks in Europe carried out by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), presumably linked to Iran, “state-backed terrorism constitutes a significant threat to Jewish life in Europe,” the report said.
The report, however, argues that the greatest antisemitic terrorist threat currently stems from jihadist terrorism. This includes jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and IS, the Afghanistan-based IS affiliate Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and also Hamas. There has recently been a coordinated law-enforcement endeavor to bring down a Hamas ring running out of multiple countries, especially Germany and the Netherlands.
About the extreme Left in Europe, ICCT and EJC said this primarily involved vandalism and property damage, while indiscriminate mass-violence plots are less likely.
ICCT and EJC said that online antisemitism persists at high levels; their monitoring demonstrates that antisemitism also frequently manifests itself through real-world incidents.
As such, the two organizations said it is essential that policymakers and civil society actors adopt a clear and proactive stance against all forms of antisemitism.
This includes not only consistently speaking out against antisemitic behavior, but also strengthening policies aimed at protecting Jewish life as part of European societies.