New report finds anti-Semitism on the rise in Czech Republic

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – The Jewish community in the Czech Republic says there was an increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the country last year.

In a report Wednesday, the Federation of the Jewish Communities said there were 347 anti-Semitic attacks in 2018, up by 221 from 2015 when the last equivalent report was published.

Most of the attacks — 93% — appeared on the internet, often on far-right, anti-liberal and pro-Russian media.

The group said there were two physical attacks and three attacks on Jewish property last year. The remainder involved anti-Semitic threats, harassment and verbal abuse.

The report still says the Czech Republic remains a safe country for Jews and anti-Semitism is at a relatively low level compared with other European countries.