Sharp increase in anti-Semitism cases in Switzerland in 2023

A synagogue – with surveillance camera – in Zurich. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

Anti-Semitic incidents notably increased following the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, a report published on Tuesday has stated.

Last year, some 1,130 anti-Semitic cases were reported or observed in the German- and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) and Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism (GRA) said on Tuesday. In 2022, the figure was 910.

According to the SIG, the terrorist attacks by the radical Islamist Hamas in October 2023 were a “trigger”. It spoke of a “veritable wave of anti-Semitism”, unprecedented in Switzerland in recent decades.

+ Read more: Zurich anti-Semitic attack spurs reactions

As a result of the Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, various groups – as far as it is possible to classify them – were triggered, the SIG said. These included right-wing and left-wing extremists as well as pro-Palestinian groups, and also some from the centre of society.

Assaults and verbal abuse

Of the ten physical assaults against Jewish people registered in German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland last year, seven came after the Hamas attacks. Some 114 of the 155 “real world” incidents were logged after October 7, or 74% of the annual total.

There was also an increase in anti-Semitic graffiti, behaviour and posters/banners after the Hamas attacks. As for verbal abuse, the uneven distribution over the year was less pronounced. Yet these also increased compared to 2022, from 16 to 47 cases. According to the SIG, no damage to property was reported in 2023.

+ Focus: the history of anti-Semitism in Switzerland

Online incidents also increased after October 7, even if only slightly compared to 2022. Some 459 out of 975 cases (in 2022 the total was 853) occurred after 7 October – this corresponds to 47% of all digital incidents last year.

The majority of incidents were again seen on messaging service Telegram, even if this app’s share fell slightly from 75% to 68%. According to the SIG, open anti-Semitism is possible in many Telegram chats without being deleted or users being blocked.

French-speaking situation

Another group, the Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation (CICAD), previously reported that anti-Semitic incidents increased by 68% in French-speaking Switzerland last year. Almost half of the incidents occurred after 7 October.

Since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in October, 150 incidents per month have been reported in French-speaking Switzerland, CICAD says. Numerous further reports have already been received this year.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dos

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