Amid a rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment and activity across the globe, recent reports published in Britain, and France indicate the alarming extent to which these phenomena have affected the local Jewish communities.
In France, a report released by the French Interior Ministry in late January showed that despite comprising less than 1% of the nation’s population, Jews in France have become a primary target of local hate crimes documented in the country, with the majority of such incidents proving to be of antisemitic nature.
Data published earlier this week found that out of the 1,142 hate crimes recorded in the country last year, a staggering 687 (60.2%) were against Jewish individuals, a near 27% increase from 2018. Following the release of this data, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner issued a statement denouncing the crimes an “an intolerable attack on our shared project, the fundamentals of our social and republican contract.”
Antisemitic incidents also saw a sharp increase in the United Kingdom, where a report published by the British Community Security Trust (CST) found that antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high. According to the report, antisemitic incidents rose 7% from the 1,690 reported incidents in 2018. Violent antisemitic crimes also increased by 25%, according to the report, while antisemitic incidents online increased by 82%.