The RIAS Saxony registration office has been active under the sponsorship of OFEK e.V. since last year – the nationwide report on antisemitic incidents by the Federal Association RIAS e.V., which was published on Tuesday, also included their figures. Today we present the results of the work of RIAS Sachsen for 2022 in a short overview.
RIAS Sachsen became aware of eleven antisemitic attacks, a fifth of the nationwide documented incidents in this category. In addition, the reporting office learned of seven cases of targeted property damage, four threats, 82 cases of abusive behavior and two antisemitic mass letters, 106 antisemitic incidents in total. 25 of the incidents of abusive behavior were gatherings where antisemitic content was displayed or propagated in speeches. A contribution by RIAS Sachsen to the annual report of the Federal Association from page 56 – the report.
Antisemitism was directed against specific individuals in 34 cases and against institutions in 16 cases. Several people can be directly affected by the same incident, and numerous others indirectly. The latter also applies to incidents in which no person or institution is addressed directly, but which contribute to the articulation and consolidation of antisemitic attitudes and the spread of hatred. Antisemitism was often in public places, where the majority of incidents became known, for example on the street (58) or on local public transport ( 8 ). However, RIAS Sachsen also documented many cases in the private retreat of those affected, e.g. their living environment (8), and in institutional contexts on which those affected depend, such as educational institutions (5) or at their own workplace (4).
The registration office documented antisemitic incidents in each of the 13 Saxon regional authorities. Nevertheless, most of the incidents in the independent cities of Leipzig (47) and Dresden (29) became known to the project. The smaller data from Chemnitz or the districts should not be taken as proof that antisemitism is less of a problem here. In Dresden and Leipzig in particular, the urban Jewish community and civil society form a somewhat more extensive reporting network, so that RIAS Sachsen finds out about antisemitic incidents more frequently.
Antisemitic incidents are classified by RIAS Sachsen according to different content-related manifestations, whereby several of these forms can also occur in one incident. Denial or trivialization of the Shoah or attack on memory was documented most frequently in so-called post-Shoah antisemitism (39 cases). In 34 cases, Jewish people were portrayed as an outgroup or as not belonging. Modern antisemitism, e.g. claims of alleged Jewish omnipotence, occurred in 23 incidents. Israel-related antisemitism, which became known in 16 cases, also played a role in Saxony.
