Since the war between Hamas and Israel, anti-Semitism has increased in Austria. This comes from both right-wing extremists and radical left-wing extremists. But criticism of Israel’s actions is not inherently anti-Semitic, according to historian Gerald Lamprecht.
A statement is anti-Semitic if it denies the legitimacy and right to exist of the State of Israel. Furthermore, Israel is portrayed as the sole villain and as ‘evil’ in itself. There is also a double standard, for example that Israel is not given the right to self-defense, but other states are. What matters is how criticism is expressed, says historian Gerald Lamprecht of the University of Graz.
According to him, the actors include right-wing extremist groups, the radical left and people with a Muslim-Arab background. The war in the Middle East is a projection surface. Since the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel, five times as many incidents have been reported as before. In total there were 1,147 last year, including insults, graffiti on house walls and arson in the Jewish part of the central cemetery.
“Forced” to choose a side
By comparison, the Documentation Center for Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Racism counted 1,522 cases of racist attacks last year. This number is also a new record. Since the corona pandemic, an intensification of the discourse has been noticeable.
Debates about the war in the Middle East have a “strong confessional character”. There are hardly any discussions possible, but rather there is a ‘force’ to choose one side. “The suffering of others” is therefore not recognized. To combat hatred of Jews, Lamprecht advocates enlightenment in the form of education and discussion. The world is ‘not black and white, but diverse and polyphonic’, and mutual exclusion would not improve anything.
The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) is organizing a symposium on October 14 on the topic of anti-Semitism and the public debate in Austria after the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Source: Krone
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