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Local Germany
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
German Chancellor suggests immigrants have 'imported antisemitism'
Following his first meeting as German Chancellor with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, Friedrich Merz gave a televised interview with US right-wing outlet Fox News in which his use of a controversial phrase raised eyebrows in Germany. Citing a report by Germany's Federal Association of Research and Information Centres on Antisemitism (RIAS) – which found an increase in antisemitic incidents in Germany in 2024 – the interviewer asked the chancellor what he was doing to address the issue. 'We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down," Merz told Fox News. "We are prosecuting those who break the law, and frankly, we have a sort of imported antisemitism with this big number of migrants that we have within the last ten years.' Merz's reply appeared to put blame for increasing antisemitism on migrants who have arrived in the country during the last ten years. In particular, the phrase "imported antisemitism" has been highlighted as problematic by an independent German organisation that keeps track of words and phrases linked with xenophobia. 'Ugliest word of the year' Controversial in Germany, the phrase 'imported antisemitism' ( importierter Antisemitismus) received press coverage earlier this year when it was nominated as Germany's Unwort des Jahres -- in other words the ugliest word of the year for 2024. Every year, Unwort des Jahres – an independent, voluntary organisation – attempts to draw attention to the most discriminatory and malicious phrases which have sprung up or gained popularity in Germany. A jury of experts including journalists, linguists and rotating guests assesses thousands of public submissions -- this year there were 3,172 submissions nominating 655 different phrases, of which 80 were accepted by the jury. Germany's official Unwort des Jahres 2024 was Biodeutsch . READ ALSO: Biodeutsch - Why this is Germany's ugliest word of the year However, publicist and political scientist, Saba-Nur Cheema, and Director of the Anne Frank Educational Centre, Meron Mendel, chose 'imported antisemitism' as their personal Unwort des Jahres for 2024. According to the jury, the expression is used to suggest that hatred of Jews has become a problem in Germany due to the influx of migrants. The term is used primarily in right-wing circles to discriminate against Muslims and people with a migration background 'and to distract from their own antisemitism'. Advertisement Of 8,627 cases of antisemitism recorded in the RIAS report for 2024, 5,857 cases were classified as 'Israel-related antisemitism,' more than twice as many as in the previous year. RIAS defines 'Israel-related antisemitism,' as Jews in Germany being held responsible for actions of the Israeli government, the state of Israel being demonized, and its right to exist being denied (among other criteria). The report also recorded 544 individual incidents with a right-wing extremist background, the highest number since the nationwide comparison began in 2020. President Trump repeatedly criticised former chancellor Angela Merkel for her decision to welcome a large number of Syrian refugees in 2015 during his televised meeting with Merz on Thursday, a policy which Merz has also previously criticised.
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Express Tribune
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Dave Portnoy to send culprits behind antisemitic sign to Auschwitz for Holocaust education
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy announced that the two men behind an antisemitic sign displayed at one of the company's Philadelphia bars will be sent to Auschwitz to learn about the Holocaust. The sign, which read 'f--- the Jews,' was brought out by bottle service staff during a loud party, and footage of the disturbing moment surfaced on social media over the weekend. Initially vowing to 'ruin' those responsible, Portnoy later said he reconsidered, opting to use the incident as a 'teaching moment.' In a video statement, he called the men 'young, drunk morons' and expressed his deep concern about the rising wave of antisemitism, both globally and personally. 'I've been doing Barstool for 20 years. I've never seen this much hate in my life,' Portnoy said. 'This isn't politics. This is about hating people—my parents, my grandparents. It's disgusting.' After speaking directly with the men and their families, Portnoy said they agreed to participate in an educational trip to Auschwitz. He is working in coordination with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's anti-hate foundation to organize the tour. Two employees involved in the incident have been terminated. The Auschwitz concentration camp, operated by Nazi Germany in Poland, was the site of the murder of at least 1.1 million Jews during the Holocaust. Portnoy hopes the visit will encourage reflection and serve as a warning to others that antisemitic hate speech carries serious consequences. This comes amid a documented surge in antisemitic incidents in the U.S., with the ADL reporting a record number in 2024, many tied to Israel-related tensions.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ADL: Antisemitic acts down in Palm Beach County, Florida in 2024, but troubling trends persist
Citing a decrease in activity by extremist organizations, the Anti-Defamation League's Florida Region reported a drop in the number of antisemitic acts both for Florida and for Palm Beach County in 2024, bucking a national trend that showed a record-high number of cases. Despite the decline, ADL officials in Florida said there were still troubling trends, including a nearly identical number of bomb threats against Jewish institutions and a growing number of Israel-related antisemitic acts. Despite recording a 39% decrease in 2024 from 2023, Palm Beach County had the highest number of incidents in Florida for the second consecutive year, the ADL Florida Region reported April 22 in its 2024 audit. There were 51 reported antisemitic incidents in Palm Beach County for 2024, down from 83 cases in 2023, according to the ADL audit. Estimates have placed the Jewish population in the county, home to about 1.5 million people, at about 12%. Statewide, there were 353 incidents report in 2024 compared to 463 cases the year before. Nationally, there were 9,354 antisemitic incidents reported in 2024, the highest total recorded since the ADL began tracking data in 1979, the organization reported. That total translates to more than 25 per day across the U.S. "One of the trends that we saw in the state of Florida was that extremist and white supremacist activity declined in Florida in 2024," said Lonny Wilk, deputy director of the ADL Florida Region. ADL officials noted a "substantial reduction" in offensive literature distributed to Jewish communities, with only eight reported incidents statewide in 2024, compared to 75 in 2023. They credited in part a state law introduced in 2023 that allows for such acts to be prosecuted as hate crimes. More: Man guilty of blunt-force fatal beating near Greenacres to spend less than year in prison The ADL's audit includes criminal and noncriminal acts of harassment, vandalism, and assault against individuals and groups as reported by victims, law enforcement, media outlets, and partner organizations. "While we most certainly welcome any decrease in the total number of incidents, the Florida numbers remain at significant levels," said Daniel Frank, the ADL Florida regional director. He noted that Florida had the seventh-highest total of reported incidents nationally, behind New York, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maryland. "These improved numbers in context illustrate concerning trends and an overall trajectory that requires a little further exploration," Frank said. "When we look at the last five years, it is clear that despite a decrease in 2024, the overall pattern is one of increasing antisemitic incidents in Florida." Bomb threats against Jewish institutions remained near previous levels, with 82 incidents in 2024 compared to 89 the previous year. Statewide there were 292 reports of harassment and 55 acts of vandalism, the ADL reported. The organization noted an incident from 2024 at an unspecified Palm Beach County school in which multiple students harassed a Jewish classmate with antisemitic comments, including including, 'Kill the Jews." It also referenced an incident near Jupiter in October in which a neo-Nazi organization infiltrated a boat parade in support of President Donald Trump, then a candidate for a new term in office, and displayed flags bearing swastikas. 'Acts of antisemitism should not be alarming just for the Jewish community, but must be recognized as detrimental to our entire society,' Frank said. While addressing the increase nationally, Oren Segal, the ADL's vice president of its Center on Extremism, said the 2024 statistics show that a rise in antisemitic acts in the wake of Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks was not a temporary spike. "There has been a fundamental shift in the landscape," he said. "Antisemitism has become a persistent reality for the American Jewish community. … It corresponds with the notable rise in antisemitic attitudes." The ADL reported that first time in the history of the audit, a majority of all antisemitic incidents — 58% — contained elements directly related to protests against Israel. Segal rejected arguments that such acts are a form of political activism. 'If your idea of protesting Israeli government policies is to assault, or harass, or intimidate Jews, that doesn't make you a political activist," he said. "That makes you a bigot." Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ADL: Antisemitic acts down in 2024; Palm Beach County most in Florida
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-Defamation League Releases Annual Audit Showing Alarming Rise In Antisemitism
In 2024, 498 Antisemitic incidents were reported to the ADL in Northern California. In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League's annual audit showed an alarming rise in antisemitism for the fourth consecutive year. The ADL reports that 9,354 antisemitic incidents occurred across the country last year, marking an 893% increase over the last decade. Semi fire destroys two brand new vehicles, causing traffic The Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Marc Levine, notes that with the rise of antisemitism also comes the rise of Jewish generational trauma. 'It's like having your blood pressure slowly rise and rise and rise, and you cannot sustain yourself at that very high, alarming rate,' Levine tells Fox40. 'We can't have this be normalized, we need to bring the hate in our society down.' 1,344 Antisemitic incidents were reported across California, the second-highest number of reported incidents per state. 'In Northern California, we witnessed 498 incidents of antisemitism, including over 100 acts of vandalism, and really sadly, five incidents of assault, and 89 different incidents occurred on college campuses,' Levine adds. Sacramento City Council member and former President of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento region, Lisa Kaplan, says it's not surprising. Sacramento County approves 30-year lease for new mental health facility 'I think we've lost sight of humanity, and so it makes me sad,' Kaplan said. For the first time, the majority of all incidents reported to the ADL contained Israel-related rhetoric and elements. This comes after the Oct. 7th brutal Hamas attack on Israel, which saw the largest number of Jewish people killed in a single day since the Holocaust. 'The day after, on Oct. 8th, there were people celebrating in the streets of our own country, here in America, the death, destruction, murder, rape that occurred by Hamas terrorists,' Levine adds. 'It's almost like accusing the rape victim of rape, and that actually did occur.' This hatred has been a reality for Sacramento City Council member Kaplan. She was forced to increase security at home after protesters showed up, harassing her and her family for her Zionist identity and stance on the war. A banner was also previously hung on an overpass comparing her to the Ku Klux Klan. Kaplan says she didn't report any of this to the ADL, highlighting how underreported these cases are. 'As a mom of two younger kids, it's hard to have that conversation that somebody might not like you because of how you identify,' Kaplan said. 'Violence and treating somebody differently because of how they identify, the color of their skin, what religion they are, is not okay.' Incidents on college campuses rose more than those in any other location. There were 8 incidents included in ADL's audit on the UC Davis Campus in 2023 and 10 in 2024. The Jewish hatred stemming from the war has been very personal for Northern California Jewish residents, as Berkeley-born Hersh Goldberg-Polin was murdered in Hamas captivity. And on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Kaplan and Levine echo the message that 96-year-old Auschwitz survivor Benjamin Lesser previously told Fox40. 'Love and hate are both contagious; choose love,' Lesser said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Arabiya
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Global antisemitic incidents dip from Oct. 7 spike but stay above pre-war levels.
Antisemitic attacks have increased dramatically since the war in Gaza began, though the numbers declined slightly last year from a peak reached immediately after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel, according to an annual report about global antisemitism from Tel Aviv University. 'Contrary to popular belief, the report's findings indicate that the wave of antisemitism did not steadily intensify due to the war in Gaza and the humanitarian disaster there,' said Uriya Shavit, the chief editor of the report. He said there was a sharp increase in attacks against Jews from October to December 2023, but that in 2024, the number of incidents declined in almost every country around the world. 'The sad truth is that antisemitism reared its head at the moment when the Jewish state appeared weaker than ever and under existential threat,' he said. The numbers of attacks in 2024 were still significantly higher than in 2022, before the war. Two notable exceptions to this trend were Australia and Italy, where attacks rose sharply in 2024. Australia recorded 1,713 antisemitic incidents in 2024, compared to 1,200 in 2023. This included an arson attack that caused extensive damage at a synagogue in Melbourne in December, as well as other incidents of vandalism, including at a synagogue in Hobart, Tasmania. In Italy, there were 877 antisemitic incidents in 2024, compared with 454 in 2023, and 241 in 2022. The number of attacks also rose slightly in the U.S. and Argentina, but not as significantly. The report also condemned the lack of punishment for perpetrators of antisemitic attacks. Many incidents are not reported to the police, and of those, very few result in arrests. In major cities with large Jewish populations, including New York, Chicago, London and Toronto, less than 10 percent of antisemitic crimes resulted in arrests between 2021 and 2023, the report found. 'Education and legislation without enforcement are meaningless,' said Carl Yonker, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University who contributed to the report. Each year, Tel Aviv University's Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice, releases a report about antisemitism ahead of Israel's commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day marks a national memorial for the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, which the country observes starting on Wednesday evening. The statistics are based on reports from police, national authorities and local Jewish communities. Earlier this week,Anti-Defamation League also released its major report about antisemitism in the United States. For the first time in nearly 50 years of compiling data, the organization said that Israel-related incidents, including chants, speeches and signs at rallies protesting Israeli policies, made up more than half of the reported incidents in 2024. The ADL's findings add to the intense, divisive debate among American Jews — and others — over the extent to which vehement criticism of Israeli policies and of Zionism, or the belief in Israel as the Jewish nation state, should be considered antisemitic.
