Anti-Semitic Incidents Increase Sharply Since Attack on Israel
Published: Friday, Oct 20th 2023, 15:30
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In the past two weeks, Switzerland has seen an increase in anti-Semitic incidents. The Swiss Israelite Community Association (SIG) registered 26 cases in the real world, while the CICAD in the West Switzerland recorded 88 incidents, mainly online. The Jewish community in Switzerland is facing increased hostility due to the escalation in the Middle East. On average, two incidents have been reported per day since October 7th. This is a significant increase compared to the 57 cases reported in the whole of 2022.
The SIG does not count anti-Semitic comments online, nor does it include the Romandie in its survey. Of the 26 incidents reported by Friday, three were physical attacks, five were insults, six were graffiti, eight were emails and letters, and four were posters or anti-Semitic statements at demonstrations.
The Intercommunal Coordination Office against Anti-Semitism and Defamation (CICAD) registered 88 anti-Semitic incidents in the past two weeks. 66 of these incidents were online, mainly in comment sections of online media, where the use of terrorism was justified. In the real world, there have been incidents in schools in the Romandie, where Jewish students have been attacked and called "murderers" or "executioners".
The Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism (GRA) has also observed an increase in incidents, both in direct reports to the Foundation and in media monitoring. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, seven cases have been registered, including four threats/harassment/insults and three damage to property or graffiti. There has also been an Islamophobic incident, where a 16-year-old was called a terrorist in public just for speaking Arabic.
The seven largest Swiss parties (SVP, SP, FDP, Mitte, Grüne, GLP and EVP) have issued a joint statement, calling on the population to reject anti-Semitism and stand in solidarity with their Jewish fellow citizens. Security measures have been increased at Israeli representations in Switzerland following the major attack on Israel. In several cantons and cities, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic demonstrations are currently prohibited.
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