Compared to 2016, anti-Semitic hate crimes saw the biggest increase, up by 53 percent between 2016 and 2018.

STOCKHOLM—The number of hate crimes reported in Sweden grew in 2018, according to new figures from the Swedish crime statistics agency.

A total of 7,090 crimes reported to the police last year were identified by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) as being linked to hate motives in their latest report.

That’s an 11 percent increase compared to the last report from 2016, and 29 percent on 2013.

Compared to 2016, anti-Semitic hate crimes saw the biggest increase, up by 53 percent between 2016 and 2018.

Globally, the number of hate crimes with a racist or xenophobic motive rose by 69% over 2016 in Sweden to 4,865 cases last year, the report stated.

Anti-Semitic attacks accounted for 4% of all hate crimes in 2018.

Last May, the National Council for Crime Prevention released a report on antisemitic hate crimes. It noted that  Jew-hatred in Sweden stems from the left wing, the right wing, and the Muslim population. Antisemitism is openly expressed, and “there are few places where people with a Jewish background feel safe,” the report said

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has announced that his country will host in 2020   an international antisemitism conference to commemorate the Holocaust. This gathering of heads of state and governments is planned for October 2020, and is to be held in Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö. A controversial choice as Malmö has become known for being ”the capital of antisemitism” in Europe. Many Jews in this city do not feel safe and have left for Stockholm or abroad.

In June, the spokesman of the Malmö Jewish community said it might close down in the coming decade as a result of ‘’the authorities’ complete indifference to the community’s security needs.’’