Germany's Continuing Anti-Semitism Problem

by John Richardson
July 4, 2020 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16098/germany-antisemitism

Translations of this item:

Polish

The German government's new report flies in the face of major EU reports... German statistics on anti-Semitism have been the object of criticism for quite some time.
"The majority of [anti-Semitism] cases in Berlin are attributed to right-wing extremists -- without evidence..." — Die Welt, May 7, 2019.
"For a long time, experts have criticized the attribution of the majority of cases to far-right perpetrators... and that too little attention is paid to other groups of perpetrators, such as those from Islamist and other Muslim circles". — Die Welt, May 7, 2019.
Yet, despite problematic evidence and flawed statistics, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is still claiming that virtually all anti-Semitism comes from the far-right. Why?
Despite all these measures, anti-Semitic crime in Germany is the highest it has been in the past two decades. This news alone should raise concerns in Germany that hate-speech laws such as the NetzDG, while severely limiting free speech, are not working. It should also concern other EU countries, such as France, that are looking to Germany as an example to follow.

Anti-Semitism keeps escalating in Germany, and despite problematic evidence and flawed statistics, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is still claiming that virtually all anti-Semitism comes from the far-right. Pictured: Anti-Israel protesters take part in the annual Al-Quds Day march on June 1, 2019 in Berlin. (Photo by Omer Messinger/Getty Images)

Almost all anti-Semitic crimes in Germany in 2019 were committed by right-wing extremists, according to a recently published government report, "Politically Motivated Crime in 2019." In the report, "politically motivated crimes" are divided into right-wing crimes, left-wing crimes, crimes motivated by foreign ideology, crimes motivated by religious ideology and unassigned crimes.

According to the report, anti-Semitic crimes were 13% higher in 2019 than in 2018, with 2,032 anti-Semitic crimes committed in 2019, the highest number in Germany since 2001. According to the report, 93.4% of those crimes were committed by right-wing extremists.

"The biggest threat is still the threat from the right," Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said following the release of the crime report. "We must remain alert and tackle it. It is an order of magnitude that accompanies us with concern, with great concern."

The German government's new report flies in the face of major EU reports: In November 2018, the EU's Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a report, "Antisemitism - Overview of data available in the European Union 2007–2017," which quoted the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) as stating that in 2017:

"The main perpetrators of antisemitic incidents are 'Islamists' and radicalised young Muslims, including schoolchildren, as well as neo-Nazis and sympathisers of extreme-right and, in some cases, extreme-left groups".

Germany was among the countries surveyed.

In another major survey conducted by the FRA and published in December 2018, "Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU", it was concluded that:

"With respect to the most serious incident of anti-Semitic harassment, on average, across the 12 Member States surveyed, the most frequently mentioned categories for perpetrators were: 'someone else I cannot describe' (31%); 'someone with an extremist Muslim view' (30%); 'someone with a left-wing political view' (21%); 'work or school/college colleague' (16%); 'teenager or group of teenagers' (15%); 'an acquaintance or friend' (15%); 'someone with a right-wing political view' (13%)".

Germany was among the 12 member states surveyed.

In 2017, the Interior Ministry of Germany published a report by the Independent Expert Group on Antisemitism -- a group constituted in September 2009 based on a decision of the German Bundestag -- about antisemitism in Germany. According to the report:

"[In] the survey conducted for the [Independent Expert Group on Antisemitism in] 2016 among Jews in Germany ... 'a Muslim person/group' is mentioned by far the most frequently regarding... verbal insult/harassment, physical attack... followed by 'a person unknown to me'... only then follow in equal numbers left-extremist and far-right persons/groups. For this difference between the classification of the recorded crimes in the PMK... [the annual report about politically motivated crime] and the perception on the part of the persons concerned, there is currently no plausible explanation."

In June 2019, Germany's domestic intelligence service, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), published a report on "Anti-Semitism in Islamism," the purpose of which was "to raise public awareness of Islamist anti-Semitism". The report states:

"The record of these events shows that anti-Semitic incidents with an Islamist background are not uncommon in Germany. For the period from January to December 2017 alone, more than 100 incidents were recorded, ranging from anti-Zionist sermons to anti-Semitic graffiti to verbal and physical attacks against individuals. Probably this is just the proverbial 'tip of the iceberg'".

Which surveys should be believed? Did all Islamist anti-Semitism just disappear overnight?

Presumably not. German statistics on anti-Semitism, however, have been the object of criticism for quite some time. Die Welt wrote in May 2019:

"The majority of [antisemitism] cases in Berlin are attributed to right-wing extremists -- without evidence... For a long time, experts have criticized the attribution of the majority of cases to far-right perpetrators... and that too little attention is paid to other groups of perpetrators, such as those from Islamist and other Muslim circles".

According to a May 2019 article in the German Jewish news outlet Jüdische Allgemeine:

"In surveys of Jews in Germany who were victims of anti-Semitic acts, 62 percent of [victims of verbal] insults and 81 percent of [victims of] physical attacks identified Muslims as suspected perpetrators. Nevertheless, 'Sieg Heil' calls at an anti-Semitic Al-Quds demonstration in Berlin in July 2014 were registered as a politically motivated crime with right-wing extremist motives in the police statistics."

The newspaper also quoted Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Anti-Semitism, as saying:

"I hear from the Jewish communities that the subjective perception of the threat posed by Muslim anti-Semitism is greater than is reflected in the crime statistics."

The Independent Expert Group on Antisemitism, mentioned above, also criticized Germany's statistics in its 2017 report, "Anti-Semitism in Germany - current developments":

"In the police, the old concept of extremism continues to act as a guiding factor, which makes it more difficult to identify prejudice-motivated crimes that go beyond 'the classic pattern of far-right crime'. In particular, this concerns the attribution as 'right'-[wing] as soon as references to National Socialism can be seen. This does not take into account that while Nazi symbols are a general, anti-Jewish means, they are also generally defamatory... [and] used by perpetrators who are not far right-wing politically. Xenophobic and anti-Semitic crimes are basically always attributed to the... right when no further specifics are recognizable (e.g. only the words 'Jews out') and where no suspects are known. This may create... a distorted picture of the motivation behind the crime and the group of perpetrators."

Yet, despite problematic evidence and flawed statistics, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is still claiming that virtually all anti-Semitism comes from the far-right. Why?

The rise in anti-Semitism to the highest level in nearly two decades also raises a different issue: Germany has some of the strictest hate speech laws in Europe. In October 2017, Germany adopted a new censorship law, the NetzDG law. It is a draconian measure that requires social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to censor their users on behalf of the German state. Social media companies are obliged to delete or block any online "criminal offenses" such as libel, slander, defamation or incitement, within 24 hours of receipt of a user complaint. Social media companies are permitted seven days for more complicated cases. If they fail to do so, the German government can fine them up to 50 million euros for failing to comply. The law served as inspiration for France's recently passed Avia Law.

In addition, German law enforcement agencies have completed no fewer than five "Action Day against Hate Postings" specifically to crack down on internet "hate speech".

Despite all these measures, anti-Semitic crime in Germany is the highest it has been in the past two decades. This news alone should raise concerns in Germany that hate-speech laws such as the NetzDG, while severely limiting free speech, are not working. It should also concern other EU countries, such as France, that are looking to Germany as an example to follow.

That, however, is not happening. In January, Germany announced new crackdowns on free speech, ostensibly to fight antisemitism, as previously reported by Gatestone. In March, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance -- the human rights monitoring body of the Council of Europe -- published a report that found that Germany, despite its repressive laws, was still not doing enough about hate speech and that:

"... action is required in several areas to effectively prevent and combat hate speech. These encompass awareness-raising, prevention and counter speech, support to victims, self-regulation, the use of regulatory powers and, as a last resort, criminal investigation and punishment".

Germany seems unable to change course. In the meantime, anti-Semitism keeps escalating.

John Richardson is a researcher based in the United States.

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Comment on this item

23 Reader Comments

David • Jul 5, 2020 at 21:25

To a North American, what the German people actually see is far different from government propaganda. And that is the case in many other countries. You need only to look at what is being taught from birth in many ME countries.. A hatred of Israel is central.
There has been an extremely alarming alignment of the political left with Islamists, which will last until it is no longer useful for the Islamists.
Jewish people are under threat like no time since WWII. They really need to get their act together and deal with this existential issue head-on.

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David • Jul 5, 2020 at 08:25

For approximately two decades the German nation demonstrated not just an inability to protect the Jews against
false accusations and psychological and physical harm but to revel in such grotesque behaviour. It appeared that mainstream behaviour was characterized by approvingly kowtowing to whatever political ideology was currently fashionable, whether based on fact or fiction ie Nazism.

Decades later mainstream behaviour in Germany is still characterised by approvingly kowtowing but this time to Islam, refusing to accept it as

a) threat to Western civilisation and democracy

b) major koranic inspired source of anti Jewish venom in spite being so for centuries.

It appears that all the relevant modern and historical facts have very little to do with the validity of an ideology. and with popularity of mainstream movements.

When will they ever learn??

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Yisroel • Jul 5, 2020 at 07:23

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden exposed the liberal mindset when he declared that the truth is more important than facts.
Moreover, in their world, woke-protected groups and organizations are given a free pass.This would explain why the BBC refuses to remove the statue of its founding father Lord Reith.This is despite the fact that he was, according to his daughter, an anti-Semite and an admirer of Adolf Hitler.
One might have expected that the pompously titled Board of Deputies of British Jews, which purports to represent their community, would have taken up the case. However, they have not, simply because like other similar bodies in the USA and Europe they have the same ethos and reverence for, what many would consider as being anti-values, as the BBC.

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Raj • Jul 5, 2020 at 06:13

What people say in public and what they think in private is within itself creating a fertile ground for a conflicted persona. Left unchecked, the candidate sees himself as the victim of persecution , the only path to personal redemption therefore lies in destroying the physical incarnation of his perceived prejudices, in this case the unfortunate Jew. Although in actual fact the real source of his underlying emotional state is a disdain for another's privilege .

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Dr Saradindu Mukherji • Jul 5, 2020 at 01:52

It appears that the jihadi propaganda machinery is getting stronger in this great country - Germany. Once they achieve even partial success they will turn against Christianity and finally the very soul of Germany. Kaiser William II must be turning in his grave at the return journey of pan-Islamism on its own soil.

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Marcus

Dr Saradindu Mukherji • Jul 5, 2020 at 21:15

Germany signed its death sentence when Kaiser Willhem II went into bed with the Turkish sultan and then with the so-called Young Turks -- the genocidal Turkish leaders who killed millions of Christian Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks as Germany connived to hide the massive crime of its ally. Their defeat bonded them even tighter. Fascist genocidier Ataturk was Hitler's number-one hero. Hitler imitated the Turks when he launched the Holocaust. During WWII, "neutral" Turkey provided Nazi Germany with chromium and other minerals important for the German war effort. After the war, the Germans didn't forget the Turks -- their brothers in crime. So when Germany launched its guest-worker project, Turks headed the queue.

Now there are more than 5 million Turks in Germany who say they're Turks and not German. Erdogan urges them to be a political force for the eventual conquest of Europe by Muslims. As they used say, it's the battle of the cradle. Soon, Frankfurt will have more Turks than Germans. Whole neighborhoods in German cities are no-go Turklandia. Ja, the Federal Republic of Gerturkia is around the corner. Willhelm II and Hitler must be jumping in the afterlife. What goes around, comes around. Germany, which didn't mind the annihilation of innocent Christian Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks by its Turkish ally is now watching Germans commit national suicide. Vacations in Ibiza, a shiny BMW, and gourmet shopping at Aldi are what matter. Who is Martin Luther?

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Tershia • Jul 4, 2020 at 18:40

Leopards don't change their spots - it's in their DNA.

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eli • Jul 4, 2020 at 16:15

Details matter ---Type of crime spells if it is recorded . Example--Mob of Muslims going after a young fellow with kippah --does not result as a statistic and the mob stops short of being investigated . Incitements in the mosques--can lead to creating hell for Jews when they are shopping or other public areas---again not part of statistics---but these add up and then a horrible crime occurs--this is noted as one crime when really there was a buildup . Right wing crimes by their very nature are violent crimes and noted---they have no build up -- The Muslim gangs and incitements effects the daily life of many Jews --they eventually vote with their feet ---the crime they commit is not at a level where a government can take action---but it can and should--they have to be clear--incitement should be cause for immediate deportation--even if the imam was in the country for six or seven years . Germany should take a look at the welfare rolls--being on welfare and not integrating is not good for the country or its citizens--time to take action --three years and still on welfare and not integrating should be cause to pay them to leave-- Country will probably face several generations of welfare payments and non integration ---and worse--these are the very people that the inciters in the mosque will use to carry out their hate.

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Joseph • Jul 4, 2020 at 16:11

Germany misguidedly took in nearly a million Muslim "refugees" who have not adapted well, but Germany cannot accept that it made a huge mistake, and this attempt to cover up the hatred and attacks on Jews by blaming the small group of far-right extremists, has to be seen for what it is, a pathetic attempt at covering up,
What is worse, is that Germany continues to try to subvert the sanctions on Iran and even now is grumbling about Israel's intentions to declare official sovereignty over its own territory.
Germany still seems to struggle with acknowledging the consequences of the debt it owes and how that should govern its behaviour towards Jews.

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Bonnie • Jul 4, 2020 at 15:55

If I were Jewish in today's world, I would be making plans to emigrate to Israel soon.

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DCordes • Jul 4, 2020 at 14:22

Many Muslims in Europe are from, or from families native to the Middle East and are themselves "Semitic". The victims of the current "anti-Semitic" crimes are, of course, Jews, not Muslims, which should have been clearly stated in the first paragraph of the article.
People unfamiliar with the alliances of World War 2 may not be aware that during that war, the Mufti of Jerusalem advised Hitler how best to pursue the Holocaust against Jews, which might explain the reluctance in some circles to name Muslims, rather than "right-wing groups" as possible perpetrators of the current wave of anti-Jewish crimes.

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Howard Joffe • Jul 4, 2020 at 12:26

Far be it for any non-German like myself to dictate how they run their country, I do have a suggestion to make: treat right wing extremists sprouting hatred and anti-Semitism as a crime, fine and jail them.

Germany - you owe it to the world that you clean up your act.

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Nemo

Howard Joffe • Jul 5, 2020 at 11:14

And the Muslim anti-Semites?
And the left wing anti-Semites?
Should they remain part of the "act"?

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Hans Lembøl • Jul 4, 2020 at 11:40

Since 2015 and the great influx of persons from the Middle East and other Muslim countries, anti-semitism has been on the rise in Germany. However, the authorities and most MSM are trying to conceal this fact by only attributing anti-semitism to right-wing groups. There are, of course extreme right-wingers in Germany like in every other country, but they are relatively few in numbers. Every common German citizen knows where today's anti-semitism really comes from.

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V.Bar • Jul 4, 2020 at 10:41

Right-wing extremists? National socialists are left-wing extremists.

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Graciela Kittel • Jul 4, 2020 at 09:26

Germany is scared of what Muslims will do if implicated and obsessed with demonizing the AfD, the only NOT antisemitic and NOT anti-Israel party in the country!!!

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Shel Stein • Jul 4, 2020 at 09:19

Judith,
We just have to face it...
There's just not enough Yiddishe kopfs to go around in Deutschland and even then sechel is in short supply
worldwide.
And then there's far right schmendrichkeit balanced out by the far left.

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Nemo • Jul 4, 2020 at 08:27

Anybody who has ever lived in an Islamic country knows that the people are anti-Semitic!
Do you think that they suddenly change when they arrive in Europe?

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Germany Escapee • Jul 4, 2020 at 07:35

The German government, with good reason, prefers to ignore the coincidence of this spike in such crimes with a similar spike in number of 'newcomers'. Just as there is a similar spike in certain other offences. The match is perfect yet the population goes on accepting the propaganda spewed out by the country's media. Quite clearly the vast majority of politicians in the
Bundestag would like to hide the biggest mistake made since the days of AH. History is repeating itself. Different politics and outcomes but same propaganda and manipulative tricks. Frightening.

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Heidi Walter • Jul 4, 2020 at 06:59

You have to consider that every antisemitic crime which cannot be explicitly attributed to a specific person or group is, by ordre de mufti, attributed to the right. The stigmatization "right or far right" includes the conservative part of the ordinary citizenry who want neither socialism nor communism. Since Germany is well on its way to socialism/communism, pushed by the green, left, and Socialist parties, together with strong Islamic influence. The German Government apparently does not realize or doesn't want to realize the danger. We are not too far away from the uproars in France. Stuttgart was only the beginning.

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Don Gaetano • Jul 4, 2020 at 06:34

Another necessary article to show the submission of the German government to their masters behind the scenes. The invisible allies of the Left are wreaking havoc wherever they go around the world.
Hopefully in France Mme LePen will be elected, Salvini and Meloni in Italy and the Vox party in Spain will continue to grow. Anne Marie Waters is sounding the alarm in the UK and the Nordic countries (some) have tightened borders.
Here in the states (I'm sure you're aware) the battle rages with the Dems gone off the rails allied with the Marxist BLM and any other group that hates America as a free and democratic republic.
Thanks for this completely sourced article. Leaves no doubts. Feel free to edit at will. Keep yourself safe above all. Happy Fourth! Thanks again

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Adrian Mendes Coelho • Jul 4, 2020 at 05:55

Unfortunately Europe is not safe anymore for Jews. If you walk in Neukölln or Kreuzberg the chances to be attacked verbal or physical is very high. And things got even worse with the arrival of the "refugees"... Moving to Israel is now becoming an alternative for many... So sad for Germany.

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Germany Escapee

Adrian Mendes Coelho • Jul 5, 2020 at 16:15

True but Germany is fast becoming unsafe for all 'infidels'. On Christmas evening I walked back from a restaurant with a friend. Thank goodness I wasn't alone. In several shop doorways were groups of sinister looking characters. If looks could kill, these could. Not very nice. And this in a once sleepy safe German town. We had good reason to hurry along. Another friend had been beaten up and had his wallet, cards and watch stolen. Never appeared in the papers or followed up by police, such is the new normality. Thank goodness I got out of Germany.

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