'Dutch Jews suffered tenfold increase in anti-Semitic attacks during Gaza war'

[Behind the Aegis]

The number of anti-Semitic incidents documented in Holland in January almost equaled the number of attacks recorded throughout the whole of 2008, according to the annual report by the country's watchdog on anti-Semitism.

The report by the Hague-based Center for Information and Documentation (CIDI) presents 98 attacks in January, as the Israel Defense Forces was attacking in Gaza. The total number of attacks in 2008 was 108.

Unusually, CIDI criticized the justice system and police for allegedly not acting with sufficient promptness to ensure safety and security, and for not imposing a ban on Holocaust denial.

The month of January saw a tenfold increase in anti-Semitic attacks compared to the average nine attacks per month in the previous year.

The number of physical attacks during January was nine. Only three such attacks were recorded in 2007, and five in 2008. The remaining attacks were of hate speech and mail.

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[Zynx]

1. Disgusting.

For all of the problems this country has, we've never had quite the same problems with antisemitism that Europe has.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

2. It's unfortunate that European was never properly addressed after WWII. I wonder why that is? nt

[LeftishBrit]

4. It was, to quite a degree.

There were intense de-Nazification programmes, especially in Germany and Austria. Nazi leaders and collaborators were tried, imprisoned and in some case executed. There were re-education campaigns in Germany, Austria, and some collaborator countries. There have been strong anti-Nazi and anti-racist campaigns in most countries of especially Western Europe. For instance, there are 12 Europaean countries where Holocaust denial is illegal, and a few otherw where this was the case in the past. I am not all that knowledgeable about the situation in the Netherlands, though I visited the country recently.

As time goes by, the horrors of the Holocaust are to some extent forgotten by many, and the xenophobia that is quite common in Europe easily leads, and always has led, to a degree of antisemitism. I would disagree that antisemitism is consistently worse in contemporary Europe than in America - in both Europe and America, there are huge regional differences, for one thing.

[martymar64]

7. Because we were too busy slaughtering Indians and Mexicans and enslaving black people

[oberliner]

8. Europeans did plenty of that sort of thing as well nt

[martymar64]

9. As did the ancient Israelis

The Bible is chock full of religious-based and ethnically-based genocide. Any doubts? Go find a Moabite or an Elamite or a Canaanite or an Amorite and ask them.
According to the Bible, god loves genocide.

[LeftishBrit]

10. As did the ancient Egyptians; Greeks; Romans (met a Carthaginian lately?)..

And so through history. There are reasons why 'Vandals' and 'Huns' are used as negative terms. Not to mention the Vikings and their enthusiasm for wars... And that was all long before the British Empire, French Empire, etc.

[martymar64]

12. I guess the consensus we're arriving at is that no culture has clean hands.

Personally, I feel a good first step would be for people around the world to abandon religion, nationalism, ethnic identity and any politics that stink of national or religious identity. We are all Homo sapiens and should act accordingly. Or history is full of groups demonizing and murdering "the others". We as a species will never advance until we abandon the things that separate us.

[oberliner]

11. My post was in response to the comment on modern antisemitism in Europe vs. US

Regarding why it appears that Europe has had more issues with that sort of thing than the United States in modern history.

I don't think the actions towards the Native Americans, Mexicans, and African-Americans are relevant with respect to that question as the Europeans engaged in similar behavior.

Not sure what your comment about Biblical times has to do with this particular question of European vs. North American anti-semitism in the modern era.

[martymar64]

13. Then my question is . . .

Is antisemitism more prevalent in Europe than anti-muslim or anti-immigrant or anti-gay attitudes incidents? Is antisemitism in Europe worse than it was in 1940 or 1920 or 1820 or or 1492 or 1300?
I think it's one of those things that will never go away. But then racism and homophobia and other biases will always exist as well. None of them are good things but they exist now and always will exist.
To issue broadbrush condemnation of Europe and all Europeans for the actions of a few nutjobs is silly. It would be like condemning America and all Americans because of the actions of Tim McVeigh or Eric Rudolph.

To address the question of my analogies, no culture has clean hands. Every culture in history has a measure of blood on its hands. Anybody claiming otherwise is a fool.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

3. One more reason why Israel ought not to be engaged in the destruction of a civilian popuation. nt

[LeftishBrit]

5. Israel shouldn't have bombed Gaza, but the Dutch Jews weren't involved

I don't believe in collective punishment - whether in Gaza, Europe, or Iraq.

[proteus_lives]

6. Hamas shouldn't provoke Israel into war....

And then dive under their civilian population.