The number of reports of anti-Semitic acts or messages has increased sharply in Belgium since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to a report by the Belgian public body fighting discrimination, Unia, published Thursday.
Between October 7, 2023 (date of the Hamas attacks against Israel, which provoked the outbreak of the war in Gaza) and December 7, 2023, Unia recorded 91 reports relating to the conflict.
“In 66 cases, reference is clearly made to the Jewish origin”
of the person or community targeted, the report specifies.
On the other hand,
“eight reports refer to Palestinian origin, Arab origin and Muslim religious belief
,” he adds.
“A hostile atmosphere”
These 66 reports of anti-Semitic acts received in two months exceed the number recorded for the whole of 2022 in this country where the Jewish community is estimated at between 30,000 and 40,000 people.
“Unia received 4 to 5 reports per month relating to anti-Semitism in 2022, for a total of 57 reports.
We can therefore speak of a clear increase in reports of anti-Semitic acts since October 7, 2023
,” underlines the report.
The majority concern hate messages, more than half of which are online, specifies Unia.
“Nine reports concern a hate crime (beatings, graffiti, damage committed with a hateful motive)
,” continues this organization, which is in contact with the police and prosecutor’s offices for certain cases.
An investigation was opened in November after the desecration of the Jewish square in the Marcinelle cemetery, a district of Charleroi, where at least 85 graves were defaced and bronze objects and Stars of David were stolen.
The report notes that
"although most of the (reported) incidents do not violate the law, they create a de facto hostile atmosphere, particularly towards the Jews of Belgium
. "