2019 was not a quite year as far as antisemitism is concerned in the Netherlands, said CIDI, the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI), the leading organization in the country dedicated to combating antisemitism and spreading awareness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In its latest antisemitism monitoring report, CIDI mentioned 182 antisemitic incidents last year, excluding incidents of online hate speech, the highest number of incidents registered by the organisation since the first report of its kind published in 1982.
This number marks a 35% increase since 2018. The previous record number of incidents was registered in 2014, when Israel conducted a large-scale military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in a sharp peak in antisemitic abuse in the summer. In 2019, no such action took place, but the frequency of incidents was high and fairly constant regardless.
CIDI said it is ‘’deeply concerned about the explosive rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents. It fears that the incidents reported to them ‘’are just the tip of the iceberg,’ as victims of anti-Semitism rarely make a report to the police because they fear that a report will lead to nothing.
‘’When victims do report, they often encounter incomprehension and it can sometimes take years for them to hear what has been done with their report,’’ it said.
CIDI said it wants the police and the judiciary ‘’to invest in creating confidence among victims of anti-Semitism. Only in this way are people encouraged to report and the problem can be combated.’’
In addition to 182 incidents, CIDI recorded 127 examples of antisemitic hate speech on social media. Working Definition of Antisemitism and Criticism of Israel In the past year, the discussion about the IHR
The Dutch Parliament and some city councils, including Amsterdam, have adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism as a non-legally binding instrument. It provides a reference for policymakers to determine whether a statement, behaviour, or situation is antisemitic in nature.
‘’Antisemitism and racism should always be recognized, named and condemned as soon as they appear. Being alert to this should be everyone’s task: in the street, at school, in discussion groups, on social media, in the halls of parliament and elsewhere,’’ said CIDI.
‘’Both repressive and preventive measures are needed for a safe society free of hatred and antisemitism.’’