Brussels, Jan 25: The number of antisemitic acts registered in France and Belgium rose sharply since Hamas’ attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, according to figures released on Thursday in both countries.
In France, data from the Interior ministry and the Jewish Community Protection Service watchdog showed that 1,676 antisemitic acts were reported in 2023, compared to 436 the previous year.
According to the Council of Jewish Institutions in France – the country’s main Jewish interest group – the number of antisemitic acts in the three months that followed the October 7 attack equaled those of the previous three years combined.
In neighbouring Belgium, an independent public body fighting discrimination said it received 91 reports related to the Israel-Hamas conflict between October 7 and December 7 last year, compared to 57 reports for the whole of 2022.
Most of the reports were remarks or acts considered as antisemitic, including cases of Holocaust denial, the independent Unia said. In 66 cases, a clear reference was made to the Jewish origin of the person or people targeted.
Most of the cases involved hate messages, more than half of them online, but there were also comments made in public areas.
Unia is also collaborating with the public prosecutor’s office and Belgian police in nine cases of assault and damage, it said. (AP)
