Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the number of reports of antisemitic behavior in Antwerp had risen sharply. This involved dozens of incidents per month and the police suspected that many incidents were not reported.
Yesterday, the equal opportunities center Unia announced that it had also received many more complaints in recent months. It is a lot about online hate messages, but also about hate crimes such as graffiti or vandalism.
But strikingly, in Antwerp there have only been two reports of antisemitism since New Year. Mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA) said this in the Safety theme committee in response to a question from Vlaams Belang municipal councilor Sam Van Rooy. De Wever also looked for explanations for the spectacular drop in the number of reports. He suspects a certain habituation and therefore calls for every case of hatred of Jews to be reported. “In terms of imaging, that is very important to us. If those two reports reflect the actual situation, I am very happy, but I have my doubts about that,” says De Wever.
In recent months, the Antwerp police have received assistance from the federal reserve for the protection of the Jewish community. This assistance was extended after the New Year to the great satisfaction of the city council.
The Antwerp school communities are also consulting after reports of antisemitic incidents in and around some schools. The educational umbrella organizations and the Jewish community are also involved in this consultation.
