Antisemitic incidents surged 90% among French-speaking Swiss in 2024 – report

The report also found that more than two-thirds (72.1%) of all reported antisemitic incidents in 2024 originated from social media platforms, particularly Instagram, Telegram, and X.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Nearly 2,000 antisemitic incidents were reported in French-speaking Switzerland in 2024, marking a 90% increase from the previous year amid the wake of the Hamas-led massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to a new report published this week.

The Intercommunity Coordination Against Antisemitism and Defamation (CICAD), a Geneva-based NGO, released its annual report on antisemitism in French-speaking Switzerland for last year, revealing 1,789 antisemitic incidents — the highest number recorded since 2014.

Based on CICAD’s new study, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza prompted a historic surge in attacks on the Swiss Jewish community, with more than half of the incidents (52.5%) categorized as “traditional” forms of antisemitism and 14.4% linked to anti-Zionism.

In previous years, antisemitic incidents primarily focused on online hate speech. However, the 69-page report identified a “dangerous escalation” of antisemitic acts in 2024, marked by a significant rise in physical violence and threats against Jews, as well as attacks on Jewish property, including homes, businesses, and synagogues.

Last year in Geneva, a 10-year-old Jewish girl was punched in the face, kicked, and had her hair pulled by three classmates who yelled, “There is no place for Jews in the world!” while recording the incident.

In Lausanne, Switzerland’s fourth-largest city, a Jewish man wearing a kippah was attacked in a supermarket. While pushing and hitting him, the assailant shouted, “You are the terrorists!”

According to the report, antisemitic verbal and written threats have also increased, often appearing as graffiti or other forms of property vandalism.

For example, a Jewish family in Lausanne found a threatening message in their mailbox that read: “We don’t want you here — leave before it’s too late.”

In another incident, the office of a Jewish lawyer was broken into, with documents left scattered and the phrase “The world will be purified of Zionists” spray-painted on the wall.

CICAD also reported an “alarming increase” in antisemitic acts directly targeting Jewish students in schools and universities, including rising Nazi salutes on playgrounds, verbal and physical abuse, and teachers comparing Jews to Nazis in class.

Shortly after the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel, purportedly pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted takeovers of university facilities at several campuses, with participants calling for the eradication of the Jewish state.

For example, posters reading “Intifada jusqu’à la victoire” (“Intifada until victory”) were displayed around the University of Geneva campus.

Other incidents included Jewish students being told, “Go back to Auschwitz,” referring to the largest Nazi death camp during the Holocaust, and “You’re bad at school because you’re Jewish.”

According to the CICAD, the growing security concerns within Jewish communities in Switzerland have turned into a national issue that demands swift action.

The report also found that more than two-thirds (72.1%) of all reported antisemitic incidents in 2024 originated from social media platforms, particularly Instagram, Telegram, and X.

The study explained that the anonymity and viral nature of these platforms enable the widespread distribution of antisemitic content.

Last month, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), in collaboration with the Foundation Against Racism and Antisemitism (GRA), released its annual report on antisemitism in German-, Italian-, and Romansh-speaking Switzerland last year.

According to this report, antisemitism in Switzerland reached an “unprecedented level” in 2024, with 221 “real-world” antisemitic incidents recorded. This marked a 43% increase compared to 2023 and a 287% rise compared to 2022, following the months leading up to the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

Of all the antisemitic incidents registered in 2024, 11 were physical attacks on Jews, including an attempted murder in Zurich and an attempted arson attack on a synagogue. In contrast, hardly any such incidents were reported prior to the Gaza War.

One of the most notorious recent cases was a  attempted murder in Zurich in March 2024, during which an Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed and left with life-threatening injuries by a Swiss teenager, an Islamic State supporter of Tunisian origin.