Antisemitism Skyrockets in Germany in Wake of Hamas Attack on Israel
Far-right groups and anti-Israel sentiment among progressives contribute to rising antisemitism along with 5.7% of the population displaying antisemitic attitudes, triple the rate of two years prior.
- Antisemitism in Germany has soared following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, with acts of hate including Andreas Stars of David daubed on buildings, molotov cocktails thrown at synagogues and desecration of Jewish graves.
- 5.7% of the German population now display antisemitic attitudes, a rate three times higher than two years ago, with people of Turkish or Russian origin and young people most likely to hold such beliefs.
- Far-right groups in Germany have been successful in pushing a narrative seeking to absolve the country from its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, which is contributing to the rise in Antisemitism.
- A wave of protests against Israel's retaliation to the Hamas attack has swept the country, with many of the demonstrators self-identifying as progressive, including supporters from Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ rights groups.
- The Holocaust denial, illegal in Germany, is beginning to see some resurgence, and this antisemitism surge coincides with the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a notorious Nazi-led pogrom against Jews in 1938.