Austria: the debate on anti-Semitism revived
The president of the Jewish community of Graz, Elie Rosen, attends a press conference in Vienna, Austria, August 24, 2020. REUTERS / Leonhard Foeger
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2 min
In Austria, anti-Semitism is making a comeback again.
At the end of August, the president of the Jewish community of Graz, the second largest city in the country, was attacked and acts of vandalism were committed on the synagogue in the city.
The main suspect is a 31-year-old Syrian refugee, who admitted to the facts and is a supporter of radical Islam, according to the Interior Ministry.
A case which revived the debate on anti-Semitism in Austria.
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With our correspondent in Vienna,
Isaure Hiace
The attack on the president of the Jewish community of Graz and the acts of vandalism committed on the city's synagogue shocked Austria, but did not really surprise Benjamin Nägele, the secretary general of the IKG Vienna, representative body of the Jewish community.
“
We are seeing an increase in anti
-
Semitism,” he
explains.
In the past 5 years, anti-Semitic incidents have almost doubled.
By "incidents" I mean not only physical attacks, like what happened in Graz, but also insults, which occur on and outside the internet.
"
Following these incidents, the Minister of Integration, Susanne Raab announced several measures and in particular that anti-Semitism will soon be the subject of several hours of teaching within the integration courses that refugees must follow.
A first step according to Benjamin Nägele: “
The efforts made at the moment by the Ministry of Integration are very important but they are only a small piece of the puzzle.
To fight against anti-Semitism, wherever it comes from, an important aspect is education.
Not only for young people but also for all those who, by their position, may be in contact with Jews or anti-Semitism, it may be the police or even judges.
Education for all of society.
"
In the past year, 550 anti-Semitic incidents were reported in Austria, nearly half of which were motivated by far-right ideology.
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