Harnessing data to effectively fight antisemitism

FRA’s annual overview of antisemitic incidents recorded in 2022 reveals:

• Persistent data gaps – most EU countries do not effectively record antisemitic incidents or provide comprehensive official data on such incidents. Hungary, Ireland and Portugal do not publish any official data on antisemitic incidents. The lack of data makes it difficult to evaluate the state of play and compare antisemitism between countries. But 13 countries have signed up to the Vienna Declaration on enhancing cooperation in improving and comparing antisemitic data.

• Widespread antisemitism online – antisemitism continues to spread on the internet. International and European organisations increasingly acknowledge the need to address growing disinformation and hatred online. The same data gap issues in 2022 also apply online.

• More national action – 17 EU countries have dedicated national strategies or action plans to tackle antisemitism. Eight currently develop such strategies and plans.

• Growing consensus – Ireland and Malta are the only two EU countries that have not adopted the working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

FRA’s overview looks at data from international, governmental and non-governmental sources from all EU countries, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. It draws on data recorded between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022.

While this report does not cover data from 2023, previous reports show events in the Middle East can lead to a rise in antisemitism in Europe.

The overview is the only annual source of data of this nature for the EU. This is the 19th edition.

Complementing this overview, FRA will soon publish a report focusing on online content moderation, including online hate against Jews. In 2024, the Agency will also release findings from its third survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews.