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Dutch anti-Semitism reaches five-year high, despite scant Jewish population

A report by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service revealed that of the 144 xenophobic attacks in the Netherlands in 2017, some 41 percent were directed against Jews. Another 7 percent were against Muslims.

The Netherlands, population 17 million, in dark green. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
The Netherlands, population 17 million, in dark green. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

A report published last month by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service revealed that of the 144 xenophobic attacks in the Netherlands in 2017, some 41 percent were directed against Jews. Another 7 percent were against Muslims.

The number is almost double that of 2016, during which just 22 percent of attacks were against Jews, according to a report by JTA.

An estimated 0.2 percent of the Dutch population are Jews, out of a total population of 17 million.

Of 60-plus criminal cases of anti-Semitism in 2017, including intimidation, assault, incitement to violence and vandalism, more than two-thirds revolved around soccer, and Amsterdam’s Ajax team specifically, which rival fans and supporters call “Jews.”

Among 117 cases of vandalism, 28 incidents involved anti-Semitism, representing a 20-year high and a 40 percent increase over 2016.

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