HRWF (21.02.2020) – In 2019, there were 687 anti-Semitic incidents while there were only 541 in 2018, which is an increase of 27%, according to the official statistics released by the French Ministry of the Interior for 2019.
These incidents are subdivided as follows:
- 151 “acts” targeting individuals or properties such as degradations, thefts, physical violence,
- 536 “threats” in words or gestures, written or electronic communication, fliers
The increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2019 can be explained exclusively by the increase in threats. There was about 50% more incidents than in 2018. Anti-Semitic acts decreased by 15% and the gravest incidents (physical assaults) were significantly lower, by 44%.
In 2019, there was not a significant change in the rate of anti-Christian incidents in comparison to the previous year. There were 1052 recorded incidents, of which 996 acts targeted religious property and 56 were threats.
There was an increase in the rate of anti-Muslim incidents in 2019, although it remained relatively low at 154 incidents, of which there were 63 acts and 91 threats. In 2018, only 100 acts targeting religious property were identified.