The European Union warns that the conflict in the Middle East is promoting a “wave of anti-Semitism”

Hamas’s terrorist attacks against Israel in October last year and the Israeli army’s response in Gaza have sparked a wave of anti-Semitism in Europe and a Increased harassment of the European Jewish communityas the European Union (EU) warned in a report published on Thursday.

“Europe is witnessing a wave of anti-Semitism driven in part by the conflict in the Middle East. This situation seriously limits the possibilities for Jews to live in security and dignity,” said Sirpa Rautio, director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in a statement.

Speaking to EFE in Vienna, the author of the report, Angelika Grabher-Wusche, warns of a Growing trend of anti-Semitic incidents during periods of tension in the Middle East.

The report, entitled ‘Jewish experiences and perceptions of antisemitism’, includes responses from 8,000 Jews from Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden, where 96% of the estimated 1.5 million Jews living in the EU live.

Although the survey predates the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military response in the Gaza Strip, the FRA report includes more recent information from 12 European Jewish organisations on the status and perceptions of antisemitism in the EU.

Sharp rise in anti-Semitic acts in Sweden and Austria

Between October and December 2023, i.e. immediately after the Hamas attacks, incidents against Jews increased particularly in Austria (720 compared to 169 in 2022) and Sweden (110 compared to 24 in 2022), the report notes.

In this situation, the FRA details that many Jews They have stopped wearing religious symbolshave removed the mezuzah (a Jewish symbol) from their homes or have stopped attending Jewish cultural or educational centers for fear of being attacked or harassed.

The main attacks reported by respondents are: stereotypessuch as accusing them of controlling the economy, finance, the media or politics in the world.

In countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, between 90 and 94% of Jews surveyed say they face such stereotypes.

Likewise, among the most typical verbal aggressions is the denial of Israel as a stateblaming Jews for the actions of the Israeli government, denying the Holocaust or comparing Israel’s policy to that of Nazi Germany.

In Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, but also in France and Belgium, more than 80% of respondents say they are exposed to such accusations.

In Germany and Austria, the two countries responsible for organizing the Holocaust, more than 80% of Jews surveyed report being confronted with conspiracy theories about jews supposedly responsible for all kinds of events in the world.

Online hate

The FRA highlights the proliferation of anti-Semitic content online as another worrying trend, with the internet and social media being the areas where the most hate speech is recorded.

“We found that respondents avoid posting content that identifies them as Jewish, limit their participation in online discussions and reduce their use of certain platforms, which excludes them from their right to participate in society, including this digital world,” Grabher-Wusche adds.

Facebook and X are the platforms with the most hate messages towards Jews.

The FRA therefore urges: Chasing anti-Semitism with national action plans and calls on these social networks to adhere to the EU Digital Services Act, which aims to ensure a safer Internet, combat hoaxes and illegal content.

“In an increasingly polarized society, we urgently need to spread the message of tolerance and ensure respect for rights and freedoms “fundamental to all,” the FRA director emphasizes in the statement.

Attacks by extremists

In relation to physical attacks, most of the victims pointed to the following as the main perpetrators: Islamist extremists (50%), left-wing extremists (22%) and right-wing extremists (17%).

“These percentages vary significantly between countries. In Spain, 37% of respondents identified the perpetrator of the harassment as a left-wing extremist, compared to 3% in Hungary,” Grabher-Wusche said.

According to the expert, these figures do not fully reflect the anti-Semitic attacks committed in Europe, since most victims do not report them to the authorities, which leaves them “without support or redress and the perpetrators without punishment.”

Marina Sera (EFE).