Antisemitic crimes in Germany rose by around 10% last year, figures show

Central Council of Jews calls for 'stronger commitment' to action

A man wears a kippa during the 'Berlin wears kippa' rally, organised after a spate of antisemitic attacks (TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Antisemitic crimes in Germany rose by around 10 per cent last year, a government report found.

Preliminary government figures showed 1,646 antisemitic crimes registered in 2018, up from 1,504 in 2017.

The number of violent crimes were up 60 per cent, from 37 to 62.

A spokeswoman for German chancellor Angela Merkel said the government’s position “is fully clear – that antisemitism has no place in Germany”.

But the Central Council of Jews has called for a “stronger commitment” from police, politicians and the judiciary following the report.

“The latest numbers are not yet official but they reflect a trend, and that’s alarming,” the organisation’s president, Josef Schuster, said.

“What Jews had already felt subjectively has been confirmed by the statistics.”

It comes a day after a report found the number of antisemitic attacks in France rose by 74 per cent last year.

“These acts are revolting,” French prime minister Edouard Philippe said at the country’s parliament on Tuesday.

“Day after day I’m noticing scandalous degradation and inscriptions. Day after day, I’m noticing that symbols and venues our country cherishes are attacked.”