, the UK Special Envoy for
Post-Holocaust Issues jointly authored an article on
antisemitism's global rise and the need to address all
discrimination and hatred.
The article was first
published in Jewish News and has been published today by
the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Today, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Declaration. In the 2
decades that have passed since OSCE member
states adopted this formative document on understanding and
combatting antisemitism, we have seen an almost constant rise in
antisemitic crime and incidents all over the world, both in terms
of quantity and intensity.
As if the authors of the Berlin Declaration had predicted this
terrible development, they had included in the document all
relevant aspects of what we consider the basis of combatting
antisemitism today: to promote understanding of antisemitism as a
form of hatred connecting many different kinds of political and
religious extremism and which changes according to current public
debates, to create legal structures that permit an effective
fight against Jew hatred, to enable reliable data collection on
antisemitic incidents, and to ensure education on antisemitism
and how to fight it. So, despite its comparably old age, we
should continue to act in the spirit and on the basis of the
Berlin Declaration, especially today, when we see levels of
discrimination, hatred, and violence against Jews we have not
experience since the end of the Shoah.
The current rise of antisemitism acts in our countries is
wide-ranging. Since the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October,
antisemitic comments and hate are spread across all social media
platforms. In France, 75% of these reported contents were
identified on X (formerly Twitter). On YouTube, there were
reports about a 50-fold increase in antisemitic contents,
including direct threats against Jewish institutions and
individuals.
But what is said online rarely stays online: antisemitism is also
on the rise in our streets. It includes physical abuse, criminal
damage to property. Even on our university campuses,
intimidation and violence against students are reported. This
concerns us all, in all countries, in all regions.
In the United Kingdom, for the first time ever, antisemitic
incidents were recorded in every single police region in the UK.
In Germany, antisemitic incidents have risen by 320%. Between the
Hamas attack and the end of January 2024, in Germany 2,249
antisemitic crimes have been committed, most of them related to
the conflict in the Middle East. It calls us to raise awareness
at school. In France, 40% of the antisemitic acts committed at
school make the apology of Nazism.
Antisemitism is pernicious and sends the message that some people
deserve to be targeted solely because of who they are or who they
are believed to be. Antisemitism has a deep impact on victims.
Those who commit antisemitic acts also attack the fundamental
values that underpin our diverse society, values of acceptance
and respect for others.
Antisemitism reflects on us as a society. It can cause lasting
physical and emotional damage. It provokes despair, anger, and
anxiety in victims, and spreads fear and mistrust in communities,
thus weakening the glue that binds our societies together. It
strikes at the heart of our democracies by undermining the
fundamental rights of equality and non-discrimination. Those who
target Jews target our societies and peaceful co-existence within
them as a whole.
That is why we reaffirm our commitment to fight against all
discriminations and our commitment to this universal objective
which is the fight against all forms of hatred. That is why we
need to reinforce our different structures targeting
antisemitism, such as national action plans, national
coordinators, the promotion of the IHRA
definition of antisemitism entailing all forms of
antisemitism, and legal frameworks, and, which are so important
and why we encourage all countries to establish them in
consultation with their civil societies.
We encourage relevant authorities, universities, councils, or
companies to work together, to support their Jewish colleagues,
employees, or students. In France, this will be at the heart of
the national convention against antisemitism which will be
organized (« les Assises de l'Antisémitisme ») on May
6th.
National action plans addressing antisemitism should be at the
heart of what we do.
We all value our Jewish communities and without them we would all
be diminished. If we lose the battle against antisemitism, we
lose our democracies.
