The DAIA (Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations) launched the 2021 antisemitism report in Argentina, the organization brings together several Jewish entities who decided to echo a worrying phenomenon that is generated in social networks.
The report warned that social networks are the scenario where manifestations of hatred and racial discrimination are channelled most frequently.
Supported by the conclusions of the study, the president of the DAIA, Jorge Knoblovits, explained that racism continues to be a practice rooted in society, to the point of dangerously becoming the “common sense” of citizens.
The highest authority of the DAIA also pointed out that although the number of complaints remained relatively “stable” during the period analyzed (2021), the levels of violence increased qualitatively, which translates into a significant increase in the cases prosecuted.
The report provides a quantitative and qualitative view of the scourge, fed from the Complaints Desk that the organization owns. In it, the DAIA indicates that during the year 2021 it received a total of 490 complaints for acts of antisemitism, just 3% less than in 2020, when 504 were registered. However, they explain that for two years, the facts reported are more serious. According to the monthly distribution of the episodes, the largest number happened in May, when the “Guardians of the Wall” conflict between Israel and Hamas took place. There was also a peak in September, when DAIA intervened so that the musician Ricardo Iorio, who had used antisemitic expressions, could not sing the national anthem before the match between Argentina and Bolivia for the South American qualifiers.
On the other hand, the web space continues to be preponderant: 76% of the complaints occur in this area, while 24% occur in geographical spaces. In the first group, 53% of antisemitic demonstrations take place on social networks, followed by websites with 40% (they have a marked decrease) and messaging, whatsapp, with 6%. While in the second group, the City of Buenos Aires accounts for 71% of the complaints, while Greater Buenos Aires has 6%, the rest of the Province 7%, Río Negro 4% and the rest of the country 12%. According to the report, that does not mean higher rates of antisemitism, but “a greater inclination to make complaints on the part of its residents.”
