Racist and xenophobic facts have increased by 130%, according to the Interior

The number of racist and xenophobic acts, for a large part of the threats, increased very sharply in 2019 with an increase of more than 130%, according to a report by the Interior Ministry made public on Sunday.

After registering a decline over the last two years, they increased in 2019, with 1,142 incidents recorded (compared to 496 in 2018). "For the most part, these facts fall under the category of threats (977)", lists Place Beauvau.

The Interior also notes an increase in anti-Semitic acts, 687 in 2019 against 541 the previous year, an increase of 27%.

Attacks on people in decline

These latest facts are broken down into 151 “actions”, a category which includes attacks on people and property such as damage, theft or physical violence, and 536 “threats” like threatening words or gestures, inscriptions, leaflets, letters, details the Ministry of the Interior.

"The increase in anti-Semitic acts in 2019 is explained exclusively by the increase in threats, up to 50% compared to 2018, while actions have decreased by 15%. The most serious facts, the attacks on people, are even in sharp decline, by 44% ", argues the ministry.

According to the results of Place Beauvau, the number of “anti-Christian” acts is still the largest of the total of anti-religious acts and facts, but it is “stable”. The 1,052 facts listed break down into 996 actions and 56 threats. "The actions counted essentially consist of attacks on religious property", comments the Interior.

Weak but rising anti-Muslim facts

Anti-Muslim facts remain "relatively weak" (154 facts, which break down into 63 actions and 91 threats), but they are up compared to 2018 (100 facts). "Again, most of the actions concern attacks on religious property," the ministry said in a statement.

"As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp, the permanence of anti-Semitic hatred, and more generally the disturbing trivialization of racist and xenophobic speech and behavior, call for a burst of conscience in our society as well as a firm and clear condemnation of all political leaders who are involved in the republican field, "said Christophe Castaner and his Secretary of State, Laurent Nuñez, in the press release.