German intel: Known antisemitism cases 'tip of the iceberg'
ABC News
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency says that antisemitic offenses are continuing to rise and those that come to light are only “the tip of the iceberg.”
BERLIN -- Germany's domestic intelligence agency said Wednesday that antisemitic offenses are continuing to rise and those that come to light are only “the tip of the iceberg.”
The head of the BfV agency, Thomas Haldenwang, said it is alarming that antisemitic narratives are sometimes embraced by people in “the middle of German society,” serving as a link between social discourse and extremist ideologies.
He said his agency has seen that increasingly in protests against coronavirus restrictions or over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in a few cases, in connection with Russia's war in Ukraine. The internet serves as “fertile ground” for antisemitism, he added.
A report from the BfV, its second on the subject, said that 2,351 antisemitic offenses, including 57 acts of violence, were reported in 2020 — compared with 2,032 and 73 respectively the previous year. The overall figure for offenses has risen steadily since 2015, and the 2020 figure was the highest since counting started in 2001.
