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| By israelinsider staff April 16, 2007 |
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During 2006, the number of anti-Semitic acts around the world sky-rocketed, a report compiled by the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University and the World Jewish Congress claims.
The report was released for Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday.
There was a dramatic rise "in physical, verbal and visual manifestations" of anti-Semitism in 2006, according to the report. The number of physical attacks against Jews, including children and teenagers, has doubled since 2005.
590 incidents of violence or vandalism were recorded in 2006, which indicates a 15 percent increase from 2004. The 2006 figures also represents a 31 percent increase from 2005, when anti-Semitic incidents declined.
According to the report, most of the attacks were random, making it very difficult for law enforcement officials to bring the criminals to justice. However, according to Ynetnews, many of the attacks were committed by Muslim immigrants and far-right extremist groups.
The majority of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide occurred in Western Europe, with a total of 324 violent attacks -- or 54 percent of the total number. North America, which has a Jewish population over five times the size of Western Europe's, is responsible for only 17 percent of the attacks, and another 13 percent of the incidents occurred in the former Soviet Union.
Statistics show that anti-Semitic acts in the UK are the highest in 20 years, while France and Belgium also have steep increases in anti-Semitism. Australia, Canada (especially in the French speaking regions) and South Africa had great increases in anti-Semitic incidents in 2006.
However, in the US, anti-Semitic acts declined 12 percent.
According to the report, the Second Lebanon War sparked an increase in anti-Semitism. "There is no doubt that the war and the hostile mood surrounding it brought violence by Muslim extremists and far-right groups against Jews to escalate worldwide."
In addition, the report cites Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad's Holocaust-denial and calls for the eradication of Israel as a cause for the rise in anti-Semitism. "His claims represent an increasing belief in Europe, whereby Palestinians are victims of a holocaust; they also coincide with another viewpoint that is gaining momentum among post-colonial, intellectual circles, anti-Americans and advocates for anti-globalization, who, for various reasons, regard the establishment of the State of Israel as a historic mistake," the report explained. |
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