719 antisemitic incidents reported to the Jewish Community of Vienna in 2022

During the 2022 calendar year, a total of 719 antisemitic incidents were reported to the Reporting Centre for Antisemitism (Antisemitismus-Meldestelle) of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG Wien).

This is a reduction of 25.5 % compared with the previous year (965 incidents), with the number of incidents coming in at roughly halfway between the all-time high of 2021 and the two preceding years (2019: 550; 2020: 585). It is striking that, in those categories where there are fewer incidents, but where they are particularly physically threatening (physical assault, threats, deliberate damage to property), the number of reports was at the same high level as the previous year or even higher.

This report does not constitute a complete overview of antisemitism in Austria. As in previous years, it must be assumed that there is a larger number of unrecorded incidents. The report counts only those antisemitic incidents which were reported and which, following evaluation by the experts at the Antisemitism Reporting Centre, were verified as clearly antisemitic under the IHRA definition.

A recognised system of categorisation that has been in use for many years and is now established in several countries ensures that the results can be compared internationally The downward trend compared with 2021 that was identified in the first six months of 2022 continued in the second half of the year. Apart from one spike in January (the last month, for the time being, in which coronavirus-related antisemitism played an above-average role) and a dip in December, the number of incidents fluctuated within a relatively narrow range from 44 to 74 incidents per month.

Unlike in 2021, most incidents were reported on the basis of „personal perception” (284 cases), while 212 cases originated from „social networks”. Emails (90 cases) featured more often in the statistics in 2022 than other online incidents (83 cases).

However, it must be remembered that in discussion forums or on social media threads there can often be several antisemitic comments – sometimes dozens – but they are only recorded in the statistics as one incident. Antisemitic letters were reported 39 times. The statistics include five examples of antisemitic phone calls and two newspaper articles. There was also one reported incident in a TV broadcast.