Anti-Semitism on the rise in many countries around the world

2023-11-01 17:14:47, Kosova & Bota CNA

Authorities and civil society organizations in many countries are reporting an increase in anti-Semitism since the October 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, which was retaliated with bombings in the Gaza Strip.

Here are some of the countries affected by the growing wave of anti-Semitism in the world:

UNITED STATES

The Jewish organization Anti-Defamation League announced last week that incidents of anti-Semitism had increased 400% in the two weeks following the October 7 attack, compared to the same period last year.

Government officials met with American Jewish leaders on Monday to discuss steps to counter what a White House official described as an alarming rise in anti-Semitism on college campuses.

After an incident in which a man tried to force his way into a Jewish family's home in Los Angeles on Oct. 25 while chanting "Freedom for Palestine" and "Kill the Jews," Mayor Karen Bass said police would continue to increase patrols throughout the area. city.

CANADA

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of an "alarming rise" in anti-Semitism in Canada on Oct. 17, referring to incidents at a Jewish high school in Toronto as well as harsh inflammatory language online.

ARGENTINA

With memories still fresh of two attacks on the Israeli Embassy and the Jewish Center in the 1990s that killed 100 people, Argentina's Jewish leaders are advising members of the Jewish community to exercise caution and vigilance.

A well-known Jewish school in Buenos Aires has asked students not to wear their regular uniforms, while some teams have pulled out of a table tennis competition organized by a Jewish club for fear of being attacked.

Local media reported last week that an Argentine man was arrested after calling on social media platforms to attack Jewish children in schools.

BRAZIL

Jewish leaders have noted an increase in anti-Semitic language online and incidents of graffiti scrawled across Rio de Janeiro's synagogues. There were no reports of attacks or physical threats.

"We are very worried. We have increased security in our institutions,” said Executive President of the Jewish Federation of Sao Paulo Ricardo Berkiensztat.

He said he has read comments on the Internet like "Hitler didn't finish his job, he had to kill all the Jews."

GREAT BRITAIN

Police forces in London have announced that anti-Semitic incidents have increased 14-fold since the October 7 attack.

The Community Safety Trust, which collects reports on anti-Semitism in Britain, said the number of incidents in the past three weeks since the attack was the highest since the organization began collecting data in 1984.

France

Foreign Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday that since October 7, 819 acts of anti-Semitism have been registered. In 2022, there were a total of 436 such.

Mr. Darmanin said that 414 people were arrested in connection with these incidents.

Germany

A survey conducted by the civil society organization RIAS found a 240% annual increase in anti-Semitic incidents between October 7-15.

Netherlands

Although there are no official figures yet, the national coordinator for the fight against anti-Semitism Eddo Verdoner said that a large increase had been registered and the Jewish community was experiencing anxiety.

He said that Jewish parents have reported that their children are being bullied at school through comments such as "Hamas was right" and "they should have done this earlier" directed at them.

SOUTH AFRICA

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in October was nine times higher than the average recorded for the month over a decade, according to the director of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies.

In one incident, a woman who had shared information about a protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza was abused online, including messages such as "it's her children's turn."

RUSSIA

After a mob stormed an airport in the Dagestan region looking for Jews to harm on a plane arriving from Tel Aviv, the president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia is calling on the authorities to severely punish the organizers.

Rabbi Alexaner Boroda said the riots at the airport "undermined the basic foundations of the cultural and ethnic diversity of our state."

CHINA

There are no records of incidents of anti-Semitism. On October 13, an employee of the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was attacked and the suspect was arrested.

Chinese social media is awash with anti-Semitic content, including comments suggesting the Holocaust is justified and comparing Jews to vermin, vampires and snakes.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the law prohibits the use of the Internet to spread hate speech, but there is no concrete evidence that authorities are making efforts to curb anti-Semitism online./ VOA