In its annual report on complaints about antisemitism, the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic’s numbers showed a boom in incidents with the vast majority coming from the Internet.
“The virtual environment has clearly played a key role in the spread of antisemitic incidents for a long time. In 2023, 4,242 incidents originated online, i.e. 98.01%. In 2022, this figure was 97.01%; in 2021, 97.4%,” Michael Pelisek, executive director of the group, told JNS.
The total incidents represent a 90% increase from 2022.
Pelisek said that “social media remains the primary tool for spreading antisemitism. In terms of content, the registered incidents included the entire spectrum of antisemitism. Czech users often share and repost comments and graphic materials originating from foreign‐language posts.”
The Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 have fueled online bigotry, Pelisek told JNS. “Hateful content was spread by both individuals on their personal profiles and by like‐minded groups. For some, anti‐Jewish rhetoric is a stable part of their virtual identity and long‐term cultivated image,” he said.
Examples of antisemitic online content featured in the report include the Israeli flag in a waste bin with the slogan “keep the world clean,” a toilet inserted into the center of an Israeli flag and a variety of iterations of the “happy merchant” cartoon meme. A photo also shows graffiti on a brick wall. The statement made with white spray paint reads “Israel is a Nazi state.”
For the report, each complaint of antisemitism online qualifies as one incident. Pelisek explained that this standard also applies to in-person incidents. “Same with demonstrations, public meetings, lectures, debates, cultural and social events, several antisemitic incidents often appear simultaneously, e.g. speakers’ statements, banners and chants, etc. Regardless of the number of these incidents, each public event is included in the database as one incident.”
For the second year in a row, the report did not include instances of physical violence targeting Jews; however, the number of antisemitic threats, harassment and verbal insults doubled to 18.
According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, Czechia’s Jewish population includes a minimum “core” of 3,900 people and a maximum of 10,000 who would qualify as Jews under Israel’s Law of Return. The population of the entire country is 10,850,620 as of March 31, 2023, per the European Union.
