Over the past year, multiple antisemitic incidents have taken place on London’s public transport network. In a number of cases, police investigations failed because of problems with the CCTV.
Here are some recent examples:
- In October 2025, a visibly Jewish member of the public told us that he was locked on a bus in Hackney and abused by the driver. He reported the incident to police, and the driver was suspended. However, the bus’ CCTV audio was not working, so police took no further action.
- In April 2026, a member of the public told us that he was assaulted while travelling on the Northern Line. The perpetrator verbally and physically abused the victim. His wife called the police, who reviewed onboard CCTV but were unable to identify either the victim or perpetrator due to a fault with downloading the footage. Police initially dropped the case, but reopened it after the victim submitted his own footage of the incident.
- Also in April, a member of the public told us that she was racially abused while commuting on the Weaver Overground line. When both passengers exited the train, the perpetrator continued to intimidate the victim. The victim subsequently wrote to her local MP, who provided an update from British Transport Police (BTP) which stated that following a preliminary investigation, there was no CCTV which showed evidence of the verbal exchange. The BTP then closed the case.
According to our representative polling, 68% of Jews would not feel comfortable physically or verbally disclosing their Jewish identity on public transport; only 31% would.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is astounding that in London, one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world, authorities are unable to rely on CCTV to identify and prosecute offenders.
“What is the point of TfL investing in all these cameras if, when the moment comes, they cannot deliver for victims? CCTV is supposed to provide the evidence needed to prosecute criminals and establish deterrence. Without that, no British Jew nor any ordinary British person can rest assured that if they are attacked on public transport, they will get justice.”
