The anti-Semitism commissioner of the Federal Government sees a "new high point" of the anti-Semitism in Germany. "Anti-Semitism was always present in bourgeois circles in Germany, but today people are more open-minded," he told the newspapers in the Funke Mediengruppe. "The inhibitions have dropped, for example, through the spread of hate and the brutalization on the Internet."
Also in the political culture, the handling has become rougher, said Klein - which also has contributed to the AfD.
Klein referred with his statements to a new study commissioned by the World Jewish Congress. According to this, every fourth German has anti-Semitic thoughts. "The previous surveys assumed that about 15 to 20 percent of Germans have latent anti-Semitic attitudes," said Klein. "The Israel-related anti-Semitism in Germany is even higher with 40 percent."
As a consequence, Klein sees state and society in duty. "It's scandalous that many anti-Semitic crime cases are being prosecuted." The courts would have to punish anti-Semitism more.
Earlier, several politicians had already commented on the results of the study. Greens parliamentary vice Konstantin von Notz called them "staggering", but not surprisingly. Thus, his party pointed out for years, "that anti-Semitism was never gone and unfortunately reaches deep into the middle of society."
The FDP politician Stefan Ruppert called it "alarming that the study finds anti-Semitic ideas in growing parts of our society approval." The federal government must now "act decisively to effectively combat the spread of an anti-Semitic climate in society".
