A year in European antisemitism: What are the online and physical trends?

“Europe is sitting on an explosive barrel, and it must wake up before it’s too late,”  Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said Monday, following the release of his ministry’s report about European antisemitism since the October 7 massacre.

The report is extremely pertinent given “the horrifying violence against Jews that again broke out on European soil,” he said, referring to the attacks on Israelis in Amsterdam last Thursday.

The report was based mainly on open-source intelligence and presents the trends of European antisemitism. It was commissioned by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry’s National Command for Combating Antisemitism.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights recorded an increase of up to 400% in antisemitic activity since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, the report said. It also found that 96% of Jews encounter antisemitism in their daily lives.

Physical incidents

While the crescendo in antisemitism seen in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre has lowered, it has not yet decreased to prewar levels, the report said.

The countries that have faced the most significant worsening in antisemitism are Great Britain, France, and Germany, which all have large Jewish communities. This is true for both online and in physical spaces.

Over the past year, France has had five serious antisemitic incidents – the most in Europe, the report said. Germany and the UK had two, and Switzerland had one.

Despite the frequency and severity of these attacks, no fatalities have been reported in connection with antisemitic violence in Europe since the October 7 massacre, the report said.

Online content

Peaks in antisemitism online coincided with key events in the Israel-Hamas War, such as the explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital, the operation to rescue hostages, Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel, and the Tel al-Sultan attack in Gaza.

In terms of the drivers of antisemitism, the main engines were pro-Palestinian supporters, including politicians, groups, and influencers, the report said. Of these, 50% came from the UK, followed by France with 20%.

Generators of antisemitism included figures such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon (the highest), Jeremy Corbyn, Palestine Action, and George Gallaway, the report said. Influencers who spread antisemitism included Andrew Tate, Anastasia Maria Loupis, and Roger Waters.

New antisemitic groups were founded in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, the report said. They included The Base, Núcleo Nacional, Student Federation for a Liberated Palestine, and Palestine Action’s branches in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

In terms of online content, the UK has the highest number of antisemitic posts, with nearly 2.5 million; followed by Spain, with 1.3 million; and France, with 1.15 million.

Ireland was the worst offender for online antisemitism per capita, the report said.

The number of posts compared with the Jewish population was used to determine the risk level for each country. The UK and France were considered very high risk for both physical and online risk, the report said.