Council of Europe criticizes Turkey over anti-Semitism

A new report by the Council of Europe has called on Turkey to deploy greater efforts to combat anti-Semitism. Prepared by the Council’s European Commission on Racism and Intolerance, the report covers a number of human rights and religious freedom issues in Turkey. While praising some of the reforms the Turkish government has made in recent years, the report suggests that anti-Semitism is an area about which there still is cause for concern: "There is now a feeling of insecurity in the Jewish community... Anti-Semitic propaganda continues to appear in certain sections of the media and it is apparently not unusual to come across sweeping statements in the press in which Turkey’s Jewish community is equated with the policies of the state of Israel.” While noting that the Turkish authorities have been working closely with the Jewish community to improve security at its facilities, the report criticizes the government for not taking legal measures to prosecute those making public anti-Semitic comments.