Germany sees rising number of antisemitism reports

Antisemitic incidents in Germany have shot up following the massacre carried out by terrorist organisation Hamas on October 7th 2023, Germany's Federal Association of Research and Information Centers on Antisemitism (RIAS) has said. 

According to the RIAS, which compiles reports from various sources, Jewish people in Germany have faced "new challenges, problems and threats" in recent years, and that their safety has "objectively deteriorated" following the events of October 7th.

In the aftermath of the attack, RIAS said there were antisemitic incidents in 32 German cities directed specifically against Jewish communities. These included hateful letters, threatening phone calls and emails, as well as graffiti and personal insults.

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The RIAS said protests that feature antisemitic content in particular have increased. 

The centre logged a total of 2,225 gatherings that featured antisemitic content between October 7th, 2023 and the end of 2024. Before the attack – between January 1st, 2020, and October 6th, 2023 – 1,636 such gatherings were registered. Antisemitism related to Israel was the most common theme at the gatherings (89 percent), according to the report. 

Benjamin Steinitz, managing director of the RIAS association, said "calls for the destruction of Israel, advocacy of violence against Jews, open support for Hamas terrorism and relativisation of the Shoah" had become normal. 

Steinitz said this did not include people who were concerned about Palestinian civilians. 

“It is legitimate to publicly express concern about the situation of the people in the Gaza Strip, and this does not contradict naming and rejecting antisemitism," he said. 

In 2024, RIAS documented more antisemitic incidents with a right-wing extremist background in Germany than ever before. A total of 544 incidents could be attributed to perpetrators with this political and ideological background.

"The antisemitic dynamics resulting from the massacres of October 7th did not develop in isolation from other social developments, but coincided with the global rise of authoritarian-populist and right-wing extremist parties and movements," the report states.

This appears to go against what Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) suggested earlier this year during a meeting with Fox News in the US when he highlighted "imported antisemitism" by migrants.

The RIAS says it documents “antisemitic incidents above and below the threshold of criminal liability from the perspective of those affected".

In addition to reports from victims or witnesses, sources such as media reports and, in some cases, crime statistics are also recorded. 

Outrage over Israel's military campaign in Gaza

It comes as international outrage against Israel's escalating military campaign in Gaza and its impact on Palestinian civilians has grown louder in recent months, including among the German public. 

The Hamas attack killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally by news wire AFP from Israeli official figures, in the deadliest day in the country's history.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 66,288 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

READ ALSO: Why Germany is holding back from recognising Palestine as a state

Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in August that his government was going to restrict weapons sales to Israel. But critics argue Merz has not gone far enough.

The situation remains tense on the ground. Palestine solidarity marches in Germany are heavily monitored and often involve police violence. Meanwhile, police are recording more hate crime, including anti-Semitic offences.