According to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, there was a 29 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the country in 2021, most of which included online hate crimes.
The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic recorded 1128 antisemitic incidents in 2021, which translates to a 29 percent increase from the previous year. Most of the incidents (98 percent) was hate speech on the Internet, including articles, social media posts, anonymous comments and discussion posts. The organisation claims that the upward trend is a cause for worry. Czech president of the FJC Petr Papoušek blamed the rise in antisemitic incidents on the overall atmosphere in society, claiming that it was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recorded incidents included threats of or calls for physical aggression, however, only one actual physical assault was recorded. While cases of antisemitic violence are still rare in the Czech Republic, the Federation of Jewish Communities warned that based on an analysis of foreign violent antisemitic attacks, acts of violence are almost always preceded by radicalization and hate speech on the Internet. Nevertheless, the organisation stressed that the Czech Republic is still a safe country for the Jewish community, especially in comparison with other Central and Western European countries.
The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are currently working on a national strategy to combat antisemitism, and the Czech Republic will also address this issue during its forthcoming EU Presidency.
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