Top 5 Global Antisemitic Trends Since October 7: A One-Year Impact Report

In the year since the Hamas’ massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, there has been an undeniable tsunami of unprecedented global antisemitism.

This report will focus on the five overarching antisemitic trends that Jewish communities around the world have faced in the past year, with select examples:^[1]

1. Surge in Global Antisemitism: Rising Incidents and Antisemitic Hate Speech
2. Demonizing Zionists: Targeting Individuals in Public Life
3. Glorifying Terror: Justifying the October 7th Attack
4. October 7 Denialism: Distortion and Conspiracy Theories
5. Governmental Actions: Antisemitic Rhetoric and Pro-Hamas Policies

1. Surge in Global Antisemitism: Rising Incidents and Antisemitic Hate Speech

Following the October 7 attack, antisemitic incidents skyrocketed around the world, including physical attacks, vandalism, arson, online threats, and more. Inflammatory rhetoric and overtly antisemitic slogans at protests and in public statements have contributed to a sharp rise in hostility towards Jewish communities in numerous countries.  These include:

• In France, antisemitic incidents rose 1,000 percent in the three months after October 7, more than the number of incidents for the prior three years combined.
• In the UK, antisemitic incidents were up almost sixfold between October 7, 2023 and December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.
• In the Netherlands, antisemitic incidents were up 818 percent in the month following October 7, compared to the average monthly total in the three years prior.
• In Austria, from October 7 to December 31, 2023, antisemitic incidents were up 500 percent, compared to the same period in 2022.
• In Germany, from October 7 to December 31, 2023, antisemitic incidents were up 350 percent, compared to the same period in 2022.
• In Australia, during the last three months of 2023, antisemitic incidents were up 738 percent, compared to the same period in 2022.
• In South Africa, during the last three months of 2023, antisemitic incidents were up 631 percent, compared to the same period in 2022.

Synagogues were attacked, including:

• In El Hamma, Tunisia, anti-Israel rioters vandalized and burned down the historic synagogue.
• In Yerevan, Armenia, the Mordechai Navi synagogue was set on fire.
• In Montreal, Canada, the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue was the target of an arson attack.
• In Melilla, Spain, anti-Israel demonstrators marched to the synagogue and shouted “assassins.”
• In Mainz, Germany, a man was arrested after throwing fireworks at a synagogue, where Reichspogromnacht (also known as Kristallnacht), was being commemorated, and shouting “Free Palestine.”
• In Lyon, France, the Duchère synagogue was vandalized with "Victory to our brothers in Gaza," spray-painted by two hooded individuals.
• In Madrid, Spain, “Free Palestine” and a crossed-out Star of David were spray-painted on a synagogue.
• In Temuco, Chile, the synagogue was vandalized with Nazi symbols and the phrase "genocidal zionists."
• In Santos, Brazil, the Beth Jacob synagogue was spray-painted with pro-Palestinian graffiti.

Jewish institutions were attacked, including:

• In Nalchik, Russia, a Jewish cultural center was burned and “Death to Jews” was painted on the building.
• In Montreal, Canada, bullets were fired at the doors of Jewish schools on several occasions and a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Jewish Community Center.
• In London, UK, a Jewish primary school was vandalized with red paint splashed on its doors and windows and a kosher restaurant had its windows broken and anti-Israel graffiti was spray-painted nearby.
• In Vienna, Austria, a man broke the window of a kosher butcher shop and shouted, “Allahu Akbar!”
• In Lisbon, Portugal, “Blood” was written on the wall of the Jewish Community Center.
• In Managua, Nicaragua, graves and a menorah in the Jewish cemetery were vandalized with Nazi and pro-Palestinian symbols.
• In Basel, Switzerland, “Free Palestine” and “Zionism = Terrorism” were painted on the Jewish cemetery.
• In Thessaloniki, Greece, a mural at a Holocaust memorial was defaced with “Jews = Nazis” and “Free Palestine.”
• In Lyon, France, the offices of Lyon’s Jewish community organizations were spray painted with “Gaza Resistance” and “Free Palestine.”

Jewish people were attacked in public, including:

• In Paris, France, a Jewish man was stabbed six times by a man making antisemitic remarks.
• In Genoa, Italy, a rabbi was threatened with a screwdriver by a man who shouted, “Go away, you dirty Zionist f..k.”
• In Munich, Germany, a man was attacked and subject to anti-Semitic insults in front of a synagogue.
• In Milan, Italy, an Orthodox Jewish man was insulted on his way to a synagogue by an Italian couple who said to him, “F—king Zionist! You kill children!”  On his way home he was shoved by a young man who shouted antisemitic epithets at him. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the Chief Rabbi of Denmark was shoved and spit on as he exited a tram.
• In London, UK, a visibly Jewish passenger was traveling on a London Underground train when he was confronted by a man who accused him of killing Muslims.
• In Berlin, Germany, a 72-year-old Jewish man was insulted with antisemitic and racist insults and hit in the face by an unknown woman.

Homes of Jewish people were attacked, including:

• In Paris, France, two men doused an apartment door with gasoline and set it on fire.  The targeted apartment was the only one in the building with a mezuzah.
• In Grenoble, France, a Jewish family’s apartment was broken into and antisemitic graffiti were painted on walls, including death threats to Jews and swastikas.
• In Volos, Greece, “Jews = Nazis” and a Star of David = swastika were painted on the wall at the entrance to a Jewish family’s home.
• In British Columbia, Canada, the home of a rabbi was pelted with eggs and had a Nazi symbol drawn on a window.
• In Milan, Italy, a mezuzah was torn off the doorpost of a Jewish person’s apartment and a knife was stuck into the wood in its place.
• In Vienna, Austria, eggs were thrown at the apartment door of a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, the only door in the building with a mezuzah.
• In Warsaw, Poland, a Jewish couple’s front door was graffitied with Star of David.
• In Belgium, Fleron, the home of Belgian Holocaust survivors was vandalized with “Gaza Free” and a swastika.
• In Berlin, Germany, apartment buildings where Jews live were marked with Stars of David.

Blatant antisemitic language was used at anti-Israel demonstrations, including:

• Worldwide, demonstrations featured chants including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a call for Israel’s destruction and “Khaybar Khaybar, oh Jew, the army of Mohammed will return,” referencing the slaughter of Jews in the 7th century.
• In Sydney, Australia, “Gas the Jews” was shouted during a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Sydney Opera House.
• In Milan, Italy, anti-Israel protesters shouted “Open the borders so we can kill the Jews.”
• In London, UK, a woman at an anti-Israel protest shouted, “Death to all Jews!” and a demonstrator in an anti-Israel march yelled, “Hitler knew how to deal with these people.”
• In Warsaw, Poland, a woman at an anti-Israel demonstration held a sign, “Keep the world clean,” with an image of a Star of David in a trash can.
• In Bologna, Italy, a “Hitler will see you again in hell” sign was held at an anti-Israel demonstration.
• In Santiago, Chile, an anti-Israel protest was held in front of two Jewish institutions where antisemitic slurs were chanted at people entering the buildings, including "genociders out of our neighborhood."
• In Hamburg, Germany, at an anti-Israel demonstration, a teenager was filmed shouting, “I want Adolf Hitler back, that’s my opinion. I’m for Hitler, for gassing the Jews.”

2. Demonizing Zionists: Targeting Individuals in Public Life

Since October 7, the demonization of “Zionists” by individuals and non-state actors has intensified, often manifesting in doxing, exclusion from public life, and other forms of harassment.  These campaigns target Jewish communities, for whom a connection to Israel is part of their religious identity. Incidents include:

• In Melbourne, Australia, hundreds of Jewish Australian artists and their families were doxed by high-profile pro-Palestinian activists.
• In Italy, the New Communist Party published a list of the names of over 150 Italian Jews, including political, media, and business figures, labeling them as “Zionist agents” to be “condemned and fought” for supporting Israel.

3. Glorifying Terrorism and Justifying the October 7th Attack

In the aftermath of the October 7th massacre, alarming endorsements of terrorism by individuals and non-state actors emerged worldwide. These efforts to glorify and/or justify the Hamas attack as legitimate reflect a dangerous trend of normalizing violence, with significant implications for public and global security. These include:

• Just days after October 7, French far-left MP Daniele Obono said in a radio interview that Hamas was a “resistance movement.”
• At a pro-Palestinian rally in Manchester, UK on October 8, Palestine Action co-founder Richard Barnard said, “When we hear the resistance, the Al-Aqsa flood, we must turn that flood into a tsunami of the whole world.”  Another speaker said, “We have all seen the scenes and it is the most inspiring act of resistance.”
• The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network published a “Calendar of Resistance for Palestine” with links to pro-Hamas events around the world and a call for “all Palestinian, Arab and international supporters of Palestine to escalate their organizing and struggle to stand with the heroic Palestinian resistance and confront colonial Zionist violence and imperialist complicity.”
• In Germany, the NGO “Palestine Solidarity Duisburg” expressed solidarity with “Palestinian resistance in all forms.”
• On January 25, 2024, a restaurant was opened in the city of Karak, Jordan, named “October 7^th".  

4. October 7 Denialism: Distortion and Conspiracy Theories

A disturbing trend of October 7 denialism has surged globally, including efforts to downplay or distort the severity of the attack. From denying the acts of sexual violence by Hamas, to promoting conspiracy theories—such as claims that Israel was responsible for the deaths of the Nova festival participants—these narratives not only rewrite history but also fuel antisemitic rhetoric and misinformation.  These include:

• French far-left MP David Guiraud had a criminal complaint filed against him for “revisionism” after saying in November, “‘Wait, but the human shields were used by Israel. We know that, it’s proven. Baby in the oven! … The baby in the oven was indeed made by Israel. The disemboweled mother, it’s true, was done by Israel … I think it’s Sabra and Shatila.”
• A French influencer was given a 10-month suspended sentence for public support for terrorism and incitement to hatred after she posted a video in which she said, “Whenever I hear this story about the baby put in the oven, I wonder if they added salt, pepper, maybe thyme? How did they cook him? What was served with him? Don't you wonder?”   
• Jordan’s Queen Rania expressed skepticism over accusations that Israeli children had been butchered by Hamas.
• Former Algerian MP Hafida Benhadida said at a parliamentary conference in Greece that “there were no rapes.”

5. Governmental Actions: Antisemitic Rhetoric and Pro-Hamas Policies

In the wake of October 7, some governments have escalated their antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, with countries like South Africa and Turkey openly supporting pro-Hamas stances. Several nations, including Colombia and Bolivia, have severed ties with Israel, while others have abused international law through the ICJ/ICC to target Israeli officials. From trade restrictions to the expulsion of Israeli diplomats, these governmental actions contribute to a broader, dangerous shift in global politics. These include:

• Colombian President Gustavo Petro compared Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza to the concentration camps of the Nazi regime and likened the Israeli Prime Minister to Hitler.
• On October 25, 2023, Turkish President Erdogan said that “Israel is a ‘terrorist state,’ and Hamas “is not a terrorist organization, but a group of freedom fighters and mujahideen [warriors] who are striving to protect their lands and their citizens.”

The tsunami of global antisemitism following October 7 should once again serve as a grim reminder that governments and international organizations need to take concrete action to fight antisemitic hate and extremism and to mitigate the risks Jewish communities and institutions face on a daily basis.