Faced with an upsurge in antisemitic acts - reaching unprecedented levels – since the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, the European Union continues to fight despite the lack of reliable and comparable data.
So says a report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on monitoring and recording antisemitism, published on Tuesday 27 January.
According to a previous FRA survey (see EUROPE 13451/26), dating from July 2024, 96% of Jewish respondents experienced at least one form of antisemitism in 2023 in the EU, but only 26% of online antisemitic incidents and 49% of violent incidents were reported to the authorities.
However, when they are recorded, this report shows that the figures show a surge. In France, officially recorded antisemitic acts and threats rose from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023. In Germany, crimes with antisemitic motives have doubled, reaching 5,164 incidents in 2023, rising to 6,236 in 2024.
However, as each Member State applies its own definitions, categories and collection methods, these figures are difficult to compare.
For the FRA, there is more at stake than just statistics. If antisemitism is recorded incorrectly, it means that a structural phenomenon is invisible and the entire criminal justice system is weakened, from investigation to conviction. In order to measure more accurately the true extent of antisemitism in the EU and the countries covered by the Agency, the FRA calls for better training of law enforcement officers, enhanced cooperation with civil society and regular national surveys.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/kgx (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)