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full screen A person wearing a kippa during a demonstration in Stockholm in autumn 2023 for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
The number of reported hate crimes with anti-Semitic motives increased sharply in Sweden after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, according to a new report from the Crime Prevention Council.
From October 7 to December 31, 2023, 110 hate crimes with anti-Semitic motives were reported, which was nearly five times more than the same period in 2022.
In about a fifth of the notifications in the fall of 2023, there was some kind of reference to the attack on October 7 or the subsequent war in Gaza.
“These include anti-Semitic posters and statements in connection with demonstrations, but also threats and violations against individuals who, based on their Jewish background, have been blamed for Israel’s actions in Gaza,” says Jon Lundgren, investigator at Brå, according to a press release.
The report is part of an assignment from the government to produce knowledge about the vulnerability of the Jewish minority to anti-Semitism in Sweden.