Observatory report Antisemitism in Spain Year 2010
There is a ‘dangerous’ and ‘extraordinary’ rise in antisemitism in Spain, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE). This was revealed during the presentation of the FCJE’s ‘2010 Report about Anti-Semitism’ in Madrid on Wednesday. They have called for tighter rules and reforms to the Penal Code against xenophobic content on the internet.
“What is illegal in the press is not on the internet,” warned FCJE president Jacobo Israel describing the internet as an “ideal medium for the spread of hate.”
The leader of non-governmental organisation Movimiento contra la Tolerancia (Movement against intolerance), Esteban Ibarra said: “The recession has produced an increase in xenophobia, antisemitism and Islamophobia.”
Each year there are 4,000 recorded racist incidents in Spain, Ibarra said. Of these 10 per cent are thought to be anti-Semitic. More than a third (34.6 per cent) of people have a poor opinion of Jews, a poll commissioned by the Foreign Ministry last year revealed.
The survey also shows that 58.4 per cent of Spanish people think that “Jews have so much power because the control the economy and the media.”
Ibarra complains that Spain is “not fulfilling its duties in relation to the fight against antisemitism.”
