Antisemitic incidents in Austria increased by 9.5% since 2017
The the perpetrators of these crimes had several different motives, according to the report. However, the majority of crimes were carried out by "right-wing extremists," according to EJC.
By OMRI RONVienna students fight antisemitism(photo credit: TIMO MULLER)
There were 550 antisemitic incidents reported in Austria in 2019, an increase of 9.5% since 2017, according to a report by the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), Austria’s European Jewish Congress (EJC) affiliate. “Among the 550 incidents, there were six physical assaults, 18 instances of threats, 78 instances of damage and desecration of Jewish property, 209 instances of mass-produced antisemitic literature and 239 instances of abusive behavior,” EJC wrote in a press release on its website. “While the number of physical assaults and threats saw a decrease, the number of attacks on property increased by over 50%.”The the perpetrators of these crimes had several different motives, according to the report. However, the majority of crimes were carried out by “right-wing extremists,” according to EJC. Other ideological motives include radical Islam and far-left extremism. Over 220 of the incidents could not be connected to a specific ideology.“Jewish life is an integral part of Austria and most of our fellow citizens know this,” IKG President Oskar Deutsch told EJC. “Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of people in Austria who stir up antisemitism and who engage in antisemitic acts.”IKG General Secretary Benjamin Nägele said that “This report must act as an additional incentive to develop a holistic national and European strategy against antisemitism and to proceed swiftly to implementation. We cannot waste any more time.”Germany announced this past week that its antisemitic crime rate was at its highest level since 2001, reporting 2,000 crimes targeting Jews in 2019. The number of antisemitic crimes in 2019 was 13% higher than it was in 2018.Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
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