Anti semitism in Europe.

[Shlep]

A Chassidic rabbi in Antwerp was stabbed in the neck today. This comes after the shooting (killed four people) which was anti semiticallt motivated, outside the Jewish Museum in May, also in Belgium.

Anti-racism activists in Norway have refused to participate in a Holocaust commemoration because members of the Jewish community were also invited to it, according to a Norwegian blog cited by the International Business Times (IBT).

In the UK- a rabbi speaks out.

At a kosher restaurant in Paris, a Jewish boy was assaulted and the restaurant itself was firebombed...for being Jewish. Here if you want to read about it.

This is what a Jewish MP has to deal with. There was a planned anti Semitic neo Nazi protest outside her house, and she has had to deal with abuse, both online and in RL. There are now 'serious concerns' for her safety.

Here is an article about the response in Europe towards anti semitism. 24% in Western Europe and 34% in Eastern Europe are said to hold anti-Jewish views.

'In the space of just one week last month, according to Crif, the umbrella group for France's Jewish organisations, eight synagogues were attacked. One, in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, was firebombed by a 400-strong mob. A kosher supermarket and pharmacy were smashed and looted; the crowd's chants and banners included "Death to Jews" and "Slit Jews' throats". That same weekend, in the Barbes neighbourhood of the capital, stone-throwing protesters burned Israeli flags: "Israhell", read one banner.'

That was written by the Guardian, in late August.

'A radical right-wing city councilman in Dortmund filed a legislative questionnaire to the local government, seeking data on how many Jews live in the city.' I wonder why he needed to know that

'In Germany in August, molotov cocktails were lobbed into the Bergische synagogue in Wuppertal – previously destroyed on Kristallnacht – and a Berlin imam, Abu Bilal Ismail, called on Allah to "destroy the Zionist Jews … Count them and kill them, to the very last one." Bottles were thrown through the window of an antisemitism campaigner in Frankfurt; an elderly Jewish man was beaten up at a pro-Israel rally in Hamburg; an Orthodox Jewish teenager punched in the face in Berlin. In several cities, chants at pro-Palestinian protests compared Israel's actions to the Holocaust; other notable slogans included: "Jew, coward pig, come out and fight alone," and "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas."

"These are the worst times since the Nazi era," Dieter Graumann, president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, told the Guardian. "On the streets, you hear things like 'the Jews should be gassed', 'the Jews should be burned' – we haven't had that in Germany for decades. Anyone saying those slogans isn't criticising Israeli politics, it's just pure hatred against Jews: nothing else. And it's not just a German phenomenon. It's an outbreak of hatred against Jews so intense that it's very clear indeed."

Roger Cukierman, president of France's Crif, said French Jews were "anguished" about an anti-Jewish backlash that goes far beyond even strongly felt political and humanitarian opposition to the current fighting: "They are not screaming 'Death to the Israelis' on the streets of Paris," Cukierman said last month. "They are screaming 'Death to Jews'." Crif's vice-president Yonathan Arfi said he "utterly rejected" the view that the latest increase in antisemitic incidents was down to events in Gaza. "They have laid bare something far more profound," he said.

Shlep the lack of replies here puts across your point better than anything.

Of course it's worrying. It's as if events last summer have given those people 'permission' to hate, and have validated the unleashing of ugly emotions which have nothing to do with the Gaza war or Israel, and everything to do with finding people to blame for what is perhaps lacking in their own lives.

This is all really worrying Shlep. I am also quite surprised to read about the UK, as until recently I had never really considered anti-Semitism to be much of a problem here. Extremism, racism and hatred seems to be on the rise in general. Quite often I read a news article which, if it didn't already make me despair of the human race, is followed by racist or idiotic comments that certainly do so.

"Shlep the lack of replies here puts across your point better than anything. "

Yes.

The lack of replies might not mean anything. I've skipped past this thread a few times, not because I don't care but because I feel powerless about it.

I am worried about the rise of anti-semitism, racism and extremism across the UK and Europe.

There were a couple of threads in AIBU over the summer about anti-Semitism which had quite a lot of posts on; maybe this section just has less traffic? Although there are some long threads.

Why is it that Muslims can march freely ranting hate and death to our British forces, burn poppies (for the symbolism) and pray in the grounds of Westminster Abbey but the same freedoms are not afforded to any other religion or race?

The lack of replies I would imagine are due to the time posted. Bloody hope so anyway.

I've gone quite cold reading all those stories - I can't believe this isn't making the news more?

Do they really march freely LondonGirl?

horrifying, worrying and makes me fearful that lessons from history have not been learnt.

Well the horrific vitriol they spew out never seems to be challenged ballsballsballs

Wow - I had no idea much of this was going on. I agree that its very worrying and not being given anywhere near enough attention. I understand people's frustration with Israel and the settler movement (indeed, I feel frustration about that and about US tax dollars going to assist it), but people on the streets of France and Germany yelling 'Death to the Jews'?? Bloody hell

Don't be absurd London the vast majority of people condemn anyone spewing hate speech. There are plenty marching on the opposite side as well - EDL etc. And its not just Muslims that are coming out with all this anti-semitism either. Far from it.

In the previous anti semitism threads and more memorably On the Israel-Palestinian thread (part five) several posters categorically denied anti-semitism in uk today. Some (non Jews) added that they'd never ever experienced it/witnessed it. several used the words 'crying antisemitism' etc etc. When I objected, I was told I was an Israeli troll and that I condoned the murder of innocent children.

My instinct and observation tells me that the resurgence in the uk IS mostly, but obviously not entirely from young Muslims. I feel uncomfortable saying that. I also hear anti semitimic sentiments from very lefty white males who are usually also anti American etc. And of course the edl, but no one ever listens to them.

it upsets me to read about this Shlep

I've neither experienced nor witnessed anti-semitism, but I totally believe that it's happening.

I've witnessed homophobic behaviour from young muslim men, and heard anti-muslim sentiments from young people. And, for the sake of balance, heard both from my born-again Father, his wife and their friends.

I think anti semitism of the the extreme right- the National front, Jobbik in Hungary etc, is, imo, the more worrying one, as they are the ones who have the power or could have power, iyswim? Thinking about Islamophobia etc, although the physical actions, the firebombing and assaults might come mostly from a minority of Muslims, the rise in the extremist right political parties across Europe is something to fear more, in the long term? I don't know.

My brother had 'Jew boy, Jew boy, off killing kids in Gaza, are ya?' Yelled bt him in the street. He hasn't reported it yet.

I should add he was wearing his kippah, which is how they knew he was Jewish, but I guess they didn't know we all are completely anti Israeli actions and anti the Israeli government