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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “There can be no place for the poison of antisemitism” at a ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday which saw her light a Chanukiah to observe the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Von der Leyenslammed what she called the resurgence of the “old evil” across Europe and cited swastikas painted on Jewish homes, synagogues vandalised and Jewish children kept locked in schools over concerns for their safety.
“Today, too many Jews do not feel safe to light a Chanukiah in the window. Or wear a kippah in public. Or a Star of David around their necks. Many must walk past armed guards to attend the synagogue and worry about sending their children to school. The night around us has indeed grown dark,” she said.
“One of the teachings of Hanukkah is that you can either curse the dark or light a candle. We are going for the latter,” she said as she presented a plan to clamp down on intolerance, in which the fight against antisemitism has a central place.
The “No place for hate in Europe” plan of action was adopted by the Commission last week and functions as a call for all Europeans “to stand up against hatred and speak up for tolerance and respect.”
“We want to protect places of worship – starting with synagogues. Because no one should be afraid to profess their own faith. We will fight hate speech online. Because it is never okay to use faith as a slur, neither in the streets nor on the internet,” von der Leyen said.
Violent antisemitic incidents have risen across seven countries with the largest Jewish communities outside of Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) J7 Task Force report published in May.
The countries in the J7 report include Germany, France, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Argentina.
The J7 Task Force, which was established in July 2023, sounded the alarm about the intensifying attacks on Jewish communities, especially since Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which saw militants kill almost 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
The report stated that attacks on Jewish schools, synagogues and businesses, alongside individuals, have increased significantly, in some cases more than doubling in 2023 compared to the previous year.
In Germany, antisemitic incidents increased 75% from 2021 to 2023, 185% in France and 82% in the UK.
Bondi Beach massacre
The Commission president’s remarks come just three days after 15 people were killed at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Australian police announced on Wednesday that the suspected gunman has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder.
24-year-old Naveed Akram was arrested at the scene of the incident and taken to a Sydney hospital following a shootout with police that killed his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram.
Naveed Akram was charged with one count of murder for each victim who died and one count of committing a terrorist act after waking from a coma on Tuesday.
The pair allegedly opened fire on those attending an event to mark the start of an eight-day Hanukkah festival at Bondi beach on Sunday.
The men had reportedly pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and flags of the terrorist group were found in their car where police also discovered at least two improvised explosive devices.
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