FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiThe writings "Burning the Jews in the oven" were carved on the walls of a hospital in Milan...
Over the past week, Jews living in Germany's capital, Berlin, have woken up to the terrifying sight of Stars of David emblazoned on the front doors of their apartment blocks. Police say there have been only three such incidents. But for many, they are painful echoes of the 1930s, when the Nazis targeted Jewish-owned businesses and told the public to shop elsewhere.
The graffiti reflects a sharp increase in threats and insults directed at Jews in Germany following the Hamas terror attack on October 7, when gunmen killed more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers and kidnapped dozens more. Palestinian activists celebrated the attack by distributing sweets in the streets of Berlin.
Felix Klein, the government commissioner for the protection of Jews in Germany, said the country's Jews were "horrified by the anti-Semitism displayed by Muslim groups and far-left organizations". Such inter-ethnic tensions may worsen as violence escalates.
As the conflict deepens, Jews across Europe fear they could become the target of Muslim anger over the military operation in Gaza. Tensions are particularly high in France, home to a large Muslim population and the largest Jewish community after Israel and the US.
The outbreak of conflict in the Middle East has often caused an increase in anti-Semitic incidents. On Saturday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there had been 189 threats and 65 arrests for anti-Semitic comments or acts in France since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Pharos, an online platform that allows people to report hate speech, has recorded 2,449 cases of anti-Semitism.
In Sarcelles, a northern Paris suburb with a large Jewish community, Rabbi René Taieb said many Jewish parents had kept their children away from school on Friday in response to an increase in anti-Semitic threats on social media.
"In some schools in Val-d'Oise [a department northwest of Sarcelles], out of 600 students, not even 60 showed up," said Taieb, who heads a Jewish community of 40,000 people in the region.
Fears are mounting after a man killed a teacher in a knife attack at a school in northern France on Friday. An incident that President Emmanuel Macron said shows the "barbarism of Islamic terror". Although the attack has not been categorized as anti-Semitic, Jewish leaders in France and government officials have found links to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Robert Ejnes, executive director of Crif, the council of Jewish associations in France, said that referring to history, the escalation of the Arab-Israeli conflict increases attacks on Jews in Europe.
In the United Kingdom, the Metropolitan Police said there were 75 reports of anti-Semitic offenses between September 29 and October 12, up from 12 in the same period in 2022. Incidents reported to the police increased sevenfold year-on-year, from 14 to 105. Three Hebrew Schools in north London were temporarily closed for security reasons.
The Israel-Hamas conflict seems to have affected the Italian Jewish community as well. Public places have been damaged by anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas and slogans praising Hamas. The writings "Burning the Jews in the oven" were carved on the walls of a hospital in Milan. Ruth Dureghello, former president of Rome's Jewish community, said she feared the situation could worsen as Israel steps up its military response in Gaza.
Across Europe, authorities increased security at synagogues, Jewish schools and other institutions. Darmanin said the French government would "deploy financial and human resources as long as necessary to help secure the Jewish people in France." The French government has also banned all pro-Palestinian protests due to concerns that they could "disrupt public order".
Despite the ban, large crowds gathered in Paris on Thursday, chanting "Israelis are murderers" and "Macron - accomplice". The protesters were dispersed by the police using tear gas.
Authorities in Berlin have also banned pro-Palestinian protests, a move some rights groups have condemned as a violation of free speech.
Anti-Israeli sentiment in Germany has been most prominent in schools, especially in cities with large Muslim populations such as Berlin.
Klein said some children were going to classes with Palestinian flags and spraying anti-Zionist graffiti on the walls./ Financial Times
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