Antisemitic incidents rose 35% in the last year in Australia, according to a report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
The following are the principle findings:
- During the twelve-month period to 30 September 2021, there were 447 antisemitic incidents logged by the ECAJ, volunteer Community Security Groups (CSGs), and official Jewish state roof bodies.
- This was an increase of 35% over the 331 incidents logged in the previous year.
- Overall, from 2020 to 2021, there were increases in the number of reported incidents in four categories:
- abuse/harassment (up 14% from 128 in 2020 to 147 in 2021),
- graffiti (up 152% from 42 to 106),
- stickers/posters (up 157% from 28 to 72) and
- vandalism (up by 10%, from 10 to 11).
- The number of reported physical assaults remained the same at 8. There were minimal decreases in incidents of postal and telephone threats, and a larger decrease in email threats.
- The average number of reported antisemitic incidents each year from 2013 to 2020 was 280. As such, the number of reported incidents in 2021 is above that average by 167 incidents.
In a press release on the ECAJ report, Julie Nathan, the group’s research director and report author, said: “Behind the statistics lie some horrific personal stories of persistent antisemitic bullying of Jewish students at schools, the brutal physical assault of a man on his way to synagogue,” along with the flying of a Nazi flag above a synagogue in Brisbane and the spray-painting of a synagogue in Adelaide.
“What is perhaps worse is the disgraceful discourse online and occasionally in the mainstream media of those who, for whatever reason, seek to rationalize or minimize this egregious behavior,” she said.
Like elsewhere in the world, antisemitism against Australia’s Jewish community was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls operation against Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip in May, during which more than 4,000 rockets at Israeli population centers.
“A total of 88 incidents was logged for the month of May alone, when the hostilities between Israel and Hamas occurred, compared to between 22 and 46 incidents for each of the other 11 months of the year,” said Nathan.
She also reported the threat from extremist groups including Hizb ut-Tahrir, which the Anti-Defamation League says “seeks to establish a worldwide Islamic theocracy,” and the neo-Nazi group, National Socialist Network.
