The number of antisemitic violent attacks in Berlin more than tripled in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to provisional police statistics.
The German capital’s first commissioner for antisemitism, Claudia Vanoni, who took up her post on September 1st last year, said seven violent antisemitic attacks were recorded by police in 2017, compared to 24 incidents which were recorded between January and mid-December 2018.
Vanoni described it as a “drastic increase” in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung published earlier this week.
These are provisional figures which may change if, for example, more crimes are reported.
When it comes to non-violent antisemitic crimes, according to Vanoni, police recorded a total of 305 incidents in Berlin in 2017. Last year, 295 cases were recorded up until mid-December.
“Considering that cases are usually reported later, there will probably be a slight increase in the number of cases in 2018,” said Vanoni, regarding these figures.
The majority of these cases involve offensive language against others and damage to property, such as hate-filled graffiti.
When asked why Berlin’s prosecution office needs a commissioner dedicated to antisemitism, Vanoni said there had been an “increase in hatred against Jewish citizens”.
Despite the increase in recorded crimes, Vanoni said Germany is on the whole a safe country for those belonging to the Jewish faith.
She added that antisemitism “is not only an attack on the victim, but also on our democracy and our values, and must therefore be fought vigorously”.
The German government created its first country-wide commissioner post for antisemitism last year.
