Another anti-Semitic attack hits Sweden

The Jewish community in Sweden has experienced another anti-Semitic attack, while authorities have been criticized for their inaction.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

Police in Sweden say they are investigating an attempted arson at a Jewish cemetery.

Remnants of two glass bottles with flammable contents were found Monday near the chapel at the cemetery in Malmo.

It is unclear when the bottles were thrown, but police think it was between Friday evening and Monday morning.

Malmo police spokesman Nils Norling told Swedish broadcaster SVT that if there was a fire, it wasn’t a major one.

Jewish community spokesman Fredrik Sieradzki says there were no injuries and the chapel wasn’t damaged.

The discovery followed the arrests of three people for allegedly throwing firebombs at a synagogue in the Swedish city of Gothenburg on Saturday.

A protest in Malmo of the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital included anti-Semitic slogans on Friday.

In Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, which is notorious for its anti-Semitism, about seven percent of its 285,000 inhabitants were born in the Middle East, according to city statistics.

Jewish organizations have criticized the Swedish government for its inaction in response to anti-Semitic incidents.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a leading international Jewish human rights organization which combats anti-Semitism, denounced authorities in Sweden for their “serial refusal to act against anti-Semitism.”

Referring to the incidents over the weekend, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the SWC’s Associate Dean stated, “The world witnesses 20 hooded terrorists firebomb a synagogue in Gothenburg, where Jewish youngsters inside barely escaped injury or death–what more will it take for this democracy to finally deploy the full weight of their law enforcement and judicial powers against anti-Semites and provide full protection for its Jewish citizens?”

Cooper also expressed outrage over the demonstration in Malmo where the threatening chants could be heard: “We have announced the intifada from Malmo. We want our freedom back, and we will shoot the Jews.”

“The Simon Wiesenthal Center put Malmo on our Travel Advisory list years ago because local authorities refused to protect the local rabbi and other Jews subjected to constant threats. Apparently authorities are not moved when the screams of ‘we will shoot the Jews’ echo on the streets of Sweden’s third largest city,” Cooper concluded.

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