The Independent group of experts on sntisemitism calls for a greater struggle against antisemitism in Germany. On Monday, after two years of work, the group published at the Bundestag a 300-page report on the developments in antisemitism in Germany.
According to the report, last year 40% of German residents held antisemitic views linked to Israel. Two years earlier, only 28% of respondents agreed with this statement: “With the policy Israel is taking, it is understandable why we have something against Jews.” 27% claimed: “What the State of Israel is doing to the Palestinians today is in fact no different from what the Nazis did in the Third Reich to the Jews.”
6% of Germany’s population is infected with “classic antisemitism”: They believe that the influence of the Jews is too great or that they themselves are guilty of being persecuted.
In 2016 there were 644 antisemitic offenses.
The same numbers have been diminishing for years. People who believe, for example, that the Jews are preventing the Germans from returning to normalcy, are described as “secondary antisemites”. 26% of respondents agreed to this approach.
Altogether, the Interior Ministry registered 644 antisemitic crimes in Germany last year. But the real estimated figure is much higher, explained Petra Pau, who is in charge of the reporting of the left for the group responsible for antisemitism in the German parliament. Of the 550 Jews who were asked, 76 percent said they see antisemitism as a big or very big problem in Germany – especially the dissemination of hate speech and antisemitic incitement on the Internet through the distorted portrayal of Israel in the media. 78% of respondents believe that antisemitism has risen slightly or significantly over the last five years. 61% have experienced “hidden insinuations” in the past 12 months, 29% have suffered verbal abuse or harassment. “In many places, antisemitism has become socially acceptable,” Pau said. This is a problem of the entire society, even of the so-called political center. “It appears in all the layers,” stressed the leftist politician.
Person in charge of the combat against antisemitism needed
Therefore, the group of experts requests that a a person in charge of the combat against antisemitism be appointed, who shall organize the struggle against incitement and violence against Jews. In addition, a constant promotion of work to prevent antisemitism and a commission for various countries were planned, so a to better coordinate the steps taken by the various countries.
We also need to secure scientific research on antisemitism. “The Bundestag is asked even before the summer recess, to task the federal government with the implementation of the requirements determined by the group of experts. The lack of organized responsibility must come to an end,” said Volker Beck, the person in charge of reporting on behalf of the Greens and chairman of the Israel-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group.
The requirements and recommendations must be discussed before the end of the first election period “with the seriousness required”. Beck criticized the fact that after the first report in 2012, nothing happened and no recommendation was implemented.
The chairman of the Amadeu Antonio Stiftung foundation, Aneta Kahana, said: “The Jews in their daily lives are constantly facing antisemitism. And they are coping with the situation in which they do not take the threats made against them seriously. The fact that the Jews prefer to hide their identity is embarrassing evidence of the situation in our democratic society.” In addition to politics, the religious communities are also asked to contribute in the matter. The incident that took place at the Berlin-Friedenau school showed the extent to which antisemitism in Germany is a real problem: A 14-year-old Jewish student was exposed for months to antisemitic insults and threats until his parents took him from school.
