Alarming numbers: Anti -Semitism in Austria is increasing at record high!

Alarming numbers: Anti -Semitism in Austria is increasing at record high!

Vienna, Österreich - The anti-Semitism registration office of the Israelite cultural community of Vienna (IKG) recorded an alarming increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Austria in 2024. A total of 1,520 incidents were registered, which corresponds to an increase of 32.5 percent compared to the 1,147 incidents in 2023. This significant increase is associated with the "wave of anti-Semitism", which was started after the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, explains IKG President Oskar Deutsch.

The registration office emphasizes that many incidents are probably not reported, which is why the actual number could be even higher. The increase in physical attacks, which rose from 18 in 2023 to 24 in 2024, is particularly worrying. The threats also increased, from 18 to 38.

ideological background and call for action

With regard to the ideological background of the incidents, 30.8 percent cannot be assigned, 29.8 percent motivated Islamistically, 24.7 percent were on the right and 14.7 percent on the right. German emphasizes that it is irrelevant which side of anti -Semitism comes from and asks all social actors to actively act against it. He emphasizes that anti -Semitism cannot be completely eliminated, but must be reduced to a tolerable level.

In addition, the IKG calls for more presence Jewish life in public as well as security measures for schools and synagogues. IKG general secretary Benjamin Nägele refers to an increasing brutalization within society and emphasizes that both perpetrators and victims become younger. State Secretary Alexander Pröll announced a new plan to combat anti -Semitism, which is to be presented this year. He describes the results of the report as an "urgent wake -up call".

European context and reactions

The situation in Austria is not isolated. In other European countries, an increase in anti -Semitic and anti -Muslim incidents is also observed. In Berlin, a Muslim MP received hated leaflets, a Jew was stabbed in Lyon. These incidents are associated with the recent hostility between Israel and Palestine, such as "https://www.hrw.org/de/2023/11/29/bestere-statistiken-fuer-eu--eu--zur-bekapfung-von-hauden- und" "Human Rights Watch is reported.

A general problem in the EU is the incomplete and ineffective reaction of governments to such incidents. Many hate crimes are not recorded because victims often do not know their way to display. It is required that governments better take into account the context of such crimes and collect the relevant data. Leading EU countries such as France and Germany collect data on hate crimes, but the lack of access to comprehensive anti-discrimination data is an essential obstacle to effective prevention strategies.

The importance of more precise data that is broken down according to factors such as ethnic origin, gender and age is emphasized in the EU strategy to combat anti-Semitism. This data is crucial to ensure the protection of all victims of discrimination in Europe. The development of comprehensive surveys and reports of national institutes and human rights organizations is considered necessary in order to compensate for the failure of the governments in recording and reaction to hate crimes.