The Calls Are Coming From Inside The House

Israel-related antisemitism in the context of the Israel-Hamas war has led to public debates in Germany and Austria about 'imported antisemitism'

Servus!

On Wednesday morning last week, the Jewish section of Vienna’s central cemetery was the victim of an arson and vandalism attack. A room adjacent to the main chamber of the ceremonial hall in which funeral services take place was burnt out beyond recognition. An external wall at the cemetery was tagged with a swastika and the word “HITLER.” Police and local intelligence are continuing to investigate the incident, which has received international attention including a report on CNN (see above).

Less than 48 hours later, an estimated 20,000 people—according to organizers—gathered on Vienna’s Heldenplatz for a rally in support of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 and against antisemitism, hate, and violence. Speakers included president of the Jewish Community of Vienna Oskar Deutsch, Israel’s ambassador-designate to Austria David Roet, and family members of some of the hostages. The demonstration ended in a sea of lights on the square where, on March 15, 1938, up to 250,000 Austrians gathered to hear Adolf Hitler proclaim Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria.

Both in Germany and Austria, the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has given rise to public debates about what to do about both far-left and Islamist antisemitism, the latter of which is sometimes characterized as ‘imported antisemitism.’ Some pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been banned on suspicion of what might occur at them, namely antisemitism, hate speech, and incitement to violence and criminal activity. In Germany, Friedrich Merz, leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has proposed coupling naturalization for new immigrants with recognizing Israel’s right to exist—a proposal that, on its face, is unenforceable and a violation of fundamental freedoms.

In Austria, too, politicians have spoken out in favor of strengthening Austria’s already very restrictive citizenship laws in light of current events. Styria governor Christopher Drexler—a moderate in the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP)—has argued that the loophole that allows people from certain countries in certain circumstances to obtain Austrian citizenship in six instead of the usual 10 years should be eliminated. Drexler also said naturalization should come with an acceptance of certain values. Austria should not “import” antisemitism, misogyny, and homophobia, he said.

The most recent study into antisemitism published by the Austrian parliament did indeed show that Israel-related antisemitism is more much pronounced among Turkish and Arabic speakers living in Austria than the general population. For example: 56 percent of Turks and Arabs in Austria said they agreed with the statement “Israelis are treating the Palestinians as Germans did Jews during the Second World War” compared to 30 percent of the general population. 47 percent agreed that “if there were no Israel, there would be peace in the Middle East” compared to 14 percent of Austrians at-large.

The problem with the term ‘imported antisemitism,’ however, is that the study also found that among Turkish and Arabic speakers in Austria, respondents were more likely to agree with Israel-related antisemitic statements if they were born in Austria or had lived in Austria for more than 10 years than if they had lived here for less than 10 years. In other words, second- and third-generation immigrants were more likely to be antisemitic than new arrivals. This form of antisemitism might be ‘imported’ if we take that to mean it arrives in Europe through Turkish and Arabic media—both traditional and social—or via the politics and religion of Turkey and the Middle East, but not if we are to imply that it was brought to Austria by refugees from the Middle East and north Africa after 2015. Israel-related antisemitism was already here well before those refugees from Syria and Afghanistan ever set foot in Austria.

Bis bald!

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